REFLECTING
ON A DECADEOF GROWTH
IMPACT REPORT 2019

ABOUT THISREPORT“Reflecting on a Decade of
Growth”
is the driving theme of our 2019 Impact
Report, documenting our efforts andachievements over the past decade. We
have certainly come a long way – ourmembers have grown from just over 550
members in 2010 to over 4,500 members
as at the end of 2019 and RSPO certified
area has also seen growth of 579% to 4.2
million hectares (ha) in the same period.
Today, the 2018 RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) is morerefined and our strategy towards achieving our vision is clearer
through RSPO’s Theory of Change (ToC). We have also developed
and adopted a new Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard thisyear to support greater inclusion of smallholders into thesustainable palm oil supply chain. In this report, we have included
lessons learnt over the years and efforts in place to thrive todeliver impacts as we move into 2020.

2019 IMPACT REPORTOur Impact Report is published bi-annually, covering theperformance and efforts of the RSPO members throughout thereporting period. This report serves as a platform for us tocommunicate our environmental and social initiatives andperformances to our stakeholders. From this report onwards,
our reporting year-end will be adjusted from 30 June to 31
December. Therefore, this report covers our impact progressfrom 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. All data included inthis report have been adjusted retrospectively unless otherwise
stated. All references made in this report to “RSPO”, “us” and“we” refers to RSPO.
This Report has been prepared in accordance with the
Sustainable Development Goals 12.6 requirement to adopt
sustainable practices and to ensure it is an integral part of ourreporting cycles. Our approach in reporting includes disclosuresof the performance of our members, demonstrating ourcommitment to making meaningful impacts. As we progress
further with our reporting journey, we will continue to improvedata monitoring and increase the transparency of our members’
impact and performance.
All RSPO Impact Reports can be accessed on our webpage.

Impact Report 2019

1

INSIDETHISREPORT

02

RSPO in Brief

12

Growing Our Membershipand Certification

16

Delivering Assurance
and Credibility

24

Sharing the Responsibilities
for Sustainable Palm Oil

26

Jurisdictional Approaches to
Sustainable Landscapes

32
Our Impact

60

Base Data,
Glossary andReferences

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

Impact Report 2019

2

|

RSPO
IN BRIEF

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

RSPO IN BRIEF |3CEO’S FOREWORD
Impact Report
Presented by Beverley Postma
RSPO Chief Executive Officer
As the incoming Chief Executive Officer of the RSPO, I am
inspired and humbled to see how much impact has beenachieved in the last 10 years.

I am very much looking forward to working with our talented
Secretariat team and our energetic membership base, who are
deeply committed to protecting and enhancing the three key
pillars of sustainability - people, planet, prosperity.
As I read this 2019 Impact Report, I take great encouragement
for the journey ahead. There is clearly much to be celebrated
and, while we still have more to do, this report offers a valuable
opportunity to share and reflect on these achievements andmilestones.
During the course of my career, I have witnessed the rapid
growth of the RSPO - as a keen observer from Europe, Asia,
Africa and the Americas. I am honoured to now have thisopportunity to join the RSPO family and be part of this unique,global collaboration that has played such a vital role as a pioneer
and champion of the sustainability movement.
The RSPO has taken some giant leaps forward in the last two
years - the adoption of an enhanced set of standards on No
Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation; an inclusive
Independent Smallholder Standard that I sincerely hope willencourage more small-scale farmers to come on board; and theBoard’s recent adoption of the Shared Responsibility requirements,that reinforce and build on the commitments of our downstream
members. These are three key milestones that bring us closer
to achieving our vision of market transformation.

As I take up my role, I am committed to listening carefully tocivil society organisations, both within and beyond ourmembership base who are calling for improvements to our
assurance systems. The recent commissioning of a review of the
Assurance Task Force, and the formation of a special AssuranceStanding Committee (a sub-group of the Board of Governors)
are important steps in this journey. Our mission is to achieveeven greater cohesion throughout the sustainable palm oil supply
chain by listening to all of our stakeholders. This will propel us
towards our goal of making sustainable palm oil the norm.
As with all transitions, this process will not be without its
challenges. As I write this, our staff and members are adjusting
to the social and economic realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The RSPO family has shown tremendous resilience in the faceof this challenge, which is testament to the pioneering spirit of
the organisation and its passion for innovation and technology.
I am confident that together, we shall ride out this storm andemerge stronger and wiser. I am looking forward to hearing yourthoughts on how we can build on this legacy together.
Thank you,
Beverley Postma

Impact Report 2019

4

| RSPO IN BRIEF

Photo Credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

CO-CHAIRS’ LETTER
by Anne Rosenbarger andDato’ Carl Bek-Nielsen
Dear fellow members and stakeholders,More than 10 years after its
establishment, the RSPO has
seen exponential growth andachieved much success on ourcollective journey towards
transforming the market tomake sustainable palm oil thenorm. Therefore, for this year’s
Impact Report, we have chosen
the theme “Reflecting on a
Decade of Growth” to document
our efforts and achievements
over the past decade.

It is no doubt that we have come a long way. Our membershiphas grown from just 558 members in 2010 to 4,577 members
as at 31 December 2019; and from merely 41 member countries/
territories to 94 countries/territories. RSPO certified area has
also seen significant growth of 579% to 4.2 million hectares
during this period. During this time, the RSPO Secretariat has
also grown significantly in order to better serve and support ourmembers and stakeholders, and to help us all edge closer toachieving our shared vision. Though we fully acknowledge andaccept, we still have a ways to go.
One of the major highlights of 2019 was definitely theendorsement of the landmark rules that signify the urgent callfor Shared Responsibility (SR), a concept that is made moreurgent now with the adoption of the 2018 RSPO Principles andCriteria (P&C). While this is not an entirely new concept - it waspreviously referred to as “commensurate effort” in the RSPO
Code of Conduct, members across all categories throughout the
supply chain are now mutually accountable and need to work
together to ensure the supply and demand of RSPO certified
sustainable palm oil (CSPO) is more evenly weighted. With theserules, we expect to see more active participation fromdownstream stakeholders in joining us on this journey, not only
in promoting the production of CSPO but also in increasing its
uptake. As growers have already committed to a much tougher
standard, largely to meet the expectations of buyers with No
Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policies, it is only
fair for buyers to step up in a similar way in both theirsustainable sourcing policies and procurement decisions. The
P&C must be thoroughly embedded in how all members conductbusiness or engage with the palm oil supply chain.

Impact Report 2019RSPO IN BRIEF |4,577
Reaching 4,577
registered members across
94 countries/territories as of
31 December 2019.

579%
P&C certified area grew by
579% to 4.2 million hectares in
the last decade.

Following the adoption of the 2018 P&C in November 2018,
it is crucial that all our procedures and standards are updated
accordingly to cater to an increasing degree of distributed
management for it to keep pace. In a move to enhance theassurance of the chain of custody of RSPO certified materials
along the supply chain, we also kickstarted the revision of
the 2017 RSPO Supply Chain Certification (SCC) Standard andSystems in 2019, as well as the RSPO P&C Certification System
and New Planting Procedure (NPP) document.
Besides that, the BoG has also endorsed the RSPO Governance
Review for Reorganisation of Standing Committees, Task
Forces and Working Groups, where four standing committees
have been established - Assurance, Market Development,
Smallholder, and Standard. Through the working group andtask force under each standing committee, we encourage
members to address complex and difficult challenges andwork towards developing solutions.
2020 will see us welcome a new CEO as the head of the
RSPO. The end of 2019 also saw the announcement of thedeparture of our longtime CEO Datuk Darrel Webber, who
after eight years, first as Secretary General then Chief
Executive Officer, grew the RSPO from 300 members to wellover 4,000. Before this, Darrel was also instrumental in therole he played as a member of an environmental NGO, prior
to joining the organisation. On behalf of the RSPO Board ofGovernors and membership, we thank Darrel for thesecontributions that will have a lasting impact on the industry.

In 2019, we also achieved two of our main milestones in the
Smallholder Strategy - the launch of the RSPO Smallholder Trainer
Academy (STA) programme and portal, and the endorsement of
the RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard. This new andseparate standard, produced exclusively for independent
smallholders, responds to their needs with a simplified approachto certification that better considers the diversity and incentives,
as well as challenges faced by smallholders globally. The inclusionof smallholder farmers is indeed fundamental for RSPO toachieve our desired impact and we will continue to strive tocreate a supportive environment that empowers smallholders toachieve sustainable livelihoods.

In the second half of 2020, we will welcome Beverley Postma,
an experienced CEO and scale-up strategist who thrives at
the interface of business, government, and civil society. She
joins RSPO from GreenOcean Group, a Singapore-basedsustainable business consultancy to take the lead of ourorganisation at this pivotal juncture. Beverley is also theFounder and Executive Director of Food Industry Asia, theleading industry association for food companies in Asia, andwas Chief Executive Officer of HarvestPlus based in
Washington, D.C., where she managed a global team of morethan 170 staff across fifteen countries.

The formation of the Assurance Standing Committee (ASC) in2019 is another needed initiative to help ensure robust
assessment, verification and certification against the RSPO
standard. Yet, we heard stakeholders loud and clear that a new
structure is needed to strengthen this system further.

We and the board are delighted to welcome Beverley as the
new Chief Executive Officer of RSPO. We are confident thatwith her more than 20 years of experience in the global foodindustry, Beverley will help RSPO reach new heights andcreate a greater impact on the sustainable palm oil value
chain.

Besides that, the endorsement of the RSPO Dispute Settlement
Facility (DSF) Framework, Principles and Terms of Reference (ToR)by the Board of Governors (BoG), further demonstrates ourcommitment to ensure transparency and maximum disclosureof our reports and outcomes while respecting the right toconfidentiality of the parties involved.

5

Moving forward, we will continue to work closely together
with Beverley, and our valued members and stakeholders to
implement the requirements of the 2018 RSPO P&C, andactively implement the shared sustainability requirements
and obligations to achieve our vision and goals. We also
expect to see our members throughout the supply chain towork together to increase the uptake of CSPO. We are leading
the way, and as we go along, we will continue to review andimprove the SR requirements and mechanisms.

Impact Report 2019

6

| RSPO IN BRIEFABOUT RSPO

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

RSPO is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation with the objective topromote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products. It involves
engaging all stakeholders across different sectors of the palm oil industry,
throughout the supply chain, including oil palm growers, processors andtraders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, andenvironmental and social non-governmental organisations (NGOs), tocooperate and implement credible global standards into practice.
17th Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT17)
From 4 to 6 November 2019, we held our RT17 in conjunction with our 16th Annual General Assembly (GA16) at the Bangkok
Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, Thailand. GA16 was attended by 160 Ordinary members, the RSPO Secretariat, and otheraffiliate members and observers. As a part of RT17, we also presented the 2019 RSPO Excellence Awards to our deserving
members who have demonstrated exceptional efforts in their commitment to the production, promotion and/or procurementof sustainable palm oil.
For more information on the 2019 RSPO Excellence Awards, please refer to our webpage.

Photo credit: RSPO

Impact Report 2019RSPO IN BRIEF |7

OUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE DECADERSPO Throughout the Years
2019

2018
• RSPO reached 4,000 members• Adoption of the 2018 RSPO P&C (page 19)• Endorsed RSPO Human Rights Defender (HRD)
Policy• Approved and endorsed RSPO Shared
Responsibility Requirements and
Implementation (page 25)• Adopted RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH)Standard (page 20)• Launched RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy(STA) (page 39)• Published RSPO guidance for Implementing
Decent Living Wage (DLW) and Calculating
Prevailing Wages• Achieved 3 million ha of CSPO production areaand 15 million mt of global CSPO produced(19% of total global palm oil production)

2017
2016
• RSPO reached 3,000 members• Ecuador joined JA pilot projects• Initiated RSPO’s ﬁrst community outreachprogramme (page 37)• Endorsement of the RSPO Complaints andAppeal Procedures (CAP) by the RSPO Board ofGovernors (BoG) (page 21)• RSPO Smallholder Strategy mandated• Launched PalmTrace in January (replacing
eTrace) as RSPO’s oﬃcial traceability system• Launched GeoRSPO (interactive map featuringconcession maps of RSPO members) (page 50)

2015
2014
• RSPO reached 2,000 members• Launched Remediation and Compensation
Procedure (RaCP) (pages 46 and 47)• RSPO CSPO production area reached over 2
million ha and exceeded 10 million mt ofglobal CSPO produced (18% of total global
palm oil production)

2012• RSPO reached 1,000 members• Developed PalmGHG Calculator tool to assist
RSPO members to quantify, monitor anddevelop plans to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions (page 48)• Launched RSPO eTrace to administer andmonitor the physical trade of CSPO globally

2010• New Planting Procedure (NPP) came into
force for all new oil palm planting (page 45)• RSPO is approved as a full member of ISEAL
Alliance• Palm oil concession maps of RSPO members
become publicly available• RSPO made Jurisdictional Approach (JA)commitment - Sabah and Seruyan RSPO JA pilot
projects established (page 29)• Revised NPP 2015 came into eﬀect• RSPO Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
guide endorsed by BoG

2013• Revised P&C 2013 approved and adopted• Created RSPO Smallholder Support Fund (RSSF)(page 40)2011
• Launched RSPO Trademark (page 52)• First million ha of CSPO production area and 5
metric tonnes (mt) of global CSPO produced(10% of total global palm oil production)• Established RSPO Supply Chain Certiﬁcation(SCC) Systems 2011

Impact Report 2019

8

| RSPO IN BRIEF

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURERSPO Theory of Change (ToC)
Our Roadmap to Achieving Sustainable Palm Oil
The RSPO Theory of Change (ToC) is a roadmap that exhibits how we strive to achieve our vision of transforming
markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm.

GUIDING PRINCIPLESRELEVANCY

TRUSTContinuous
improvement

Alignment

RESEARCH & EVIDENCE

Credibility

Innovation

Inclusiveness

COMMITMENT, COLLABORATION& ACCOUNTABILITY

MORE MARKETS, NEW
ACTORS ENGAGED,INSTITUTIONALSUPPORT

MORE GROWERS,HECTARES AND
VOLUMESROLES

Sustainability
leadershipStandards
systemEngagement
platform

Increased
commitments,
markets& uptake

Effective
standards &implementation
systems
Implemented
BMPs
Increasedknowledge& capacity

Increased
membership

MOBILISE

Improved
value chain
traceability

STRATEGIES

Platform& dialogues

Smallholder
participation

Increasedpromotion& awareness

Mobilised
growers& actors

Innovating
standards &benchmarks

Credible certification,
veriﬁcation &grievance

Participatory
approachfor smallholders

Jurisdictional
approaches

Generating
demand,commitments& uptake

Matching supply& demandEngaging the
supporting
sectorRecognition &harmonisation

BUSINESS CASEOUTPUTSACTRSPORSPO & other actors drive
outcomes and impacts

Impact Report 2019RSPO IN BRIEF |9More information on the RSPO ToC is available on our
webpage.

THEORY OF CHANGE
RSPO'S ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL
VISIONSUSTAINABLE PALMOIL IS THE NORM
INTERMEDIATEOUTCOMES
Consistentaccountability& enforcement

Reducedpollution& GHG
emissions

GOALS
Resilient & Healthy Landscapes & Communities
Green & Inclusive Growth

Incentives

Ecosystems
betterprotected

Supportive
policies

Resource use
minimised

Increased
investments

Productivity
optimised

Sustainable vsunsustainabledistinguishedImproved risk
management

Globalavailability ofsustainable
PO & PKO

Safe & decent
work
Human rights
upheldIMPACTSPEOPLEPROSPERITYPLANET

Sustainable livelihoods& poverty reduction
Human rights
protected, respected& remediedCompetitive,
resilient &sustainablesectorConserved, protected& enhanced
ecosystems thatprovide for the
next generation

LONG-TERMOUTCOMES

TRUST

Market for
Sustainable
Palm Oil

Agency & voice

Biodiversity protected

Inclusive accessto beneﬁts

Ecosystem
services enhanced

Communities andcompanies in harmony

Land degradation
neutrality

Sustainable &resilient businesses

Sustainable
land use planning

Level playing ﬁeld

TRANSFORM

rspo.org

Impact Report 2019

10 | RSPO IN BRIEF

WORKING TOWARDS CHANGE
A summary of the highlights of our performance update as at 31 December 2019.

Our Strategies and Approach

Innovation in standards and benchmarks
Working with stakeholders and other systems to define the principles, criteria and practices thatmake sustainable palm oil production happen.
Read more about the 2018 RSPO P&C on page 19.

Credible certification, verification and grievance
Developing a framework of assurance that builds stakeholders’ confidence and trust thatsustainability requirements are met.
Read more about the RSPO’s Certification System on page 17-23.

Participatory approach for smallholders
Ensuring the inclusion of more smallholders in the RSPO system to produce sustainably andbenefit from sustainable palm oil production and trade.
Read more about smallholder inclusion on page 39.

Jurisdictional approaches for collective impact
Catalysing platform for collective impact.
Read more about our jurisdictional approach to certification on page 27-30.

Demand generation, commitments and uptake
Furthering commitments and uptake of sustainable palm oil to incentivise sustainable production.
Read more about our market outreach activities on page 52-58.

Matching supply and demand
Increasing and diversifying the supply base and market to ensure the long-term security demand
and market access for growers.
Read more about our market outreach activities and uptake on page 53-58.

Engagement of supporting sector
Creating an enabling environment through being a catalyst, advocate, and partner for policies
and incentives, investment, regulation and enforcement.
Read more about how we engage with market actors, government bodies and other key
stakeholders to support progress on national commitments and uptake of CSPO on page 53-58.

Impact Report 2019RSPO IN BRIEF | 11

Outputs

Outcomes

Pg.14

Pg.48-49

Reduced pollution and
GHG emissions

Increased membership

4,577

registered members across 94 countries/territories
as of 31 December 2019, recording anannual increase of13%

since 2018.

1.4 million

tCO2e/year of carbon emission savings fromavoided land clearance, peat avoidance andconservation area sequestration in new
development by RSPO members.

Pg.47

Pg.52

Increased commitments, market
and uptake

7,068,932

metric tonnes (mt) of CSPO taken up by the market
from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019,with overall sales increased by

Biodiversity protected

230,195

hectares of HCV area identified and managed
by RSPO certified members within
their certified concessions.

13%

.
Pg.40

Inclusive access to benefits

The RSPO Smallholder Support Fund (RSSF) has
provided financial support for 43 smallholder
projects in 11 countries since November 2013,
benefitting

Effective standards andimplementation systems

27

certification bodies (CBs) accredited to conduct
RSPO certification audits.

28,542individual smallholders.

Pg.15

Implemented BMPs

4,160,925

hectares of plantations across 17 countries are
RSPO certified, a 9% increase compared to 2018.
There are 412 RSPO certified mills with the
production volume of 15.19 million mt of CSPO
and 3.38 million mt of CSPK.

Platform and dialogues

Pg.53-58

Find out more about the progress of country/
region-specific commitments towards market
uptake of CSPO.

Impact Report 2019

12 |GROWING OUR
MEMBERSHIPAND
CERTIFICATION

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

GROWING OUR MEMBERSHIP AND CERTIFICATION | 13

RSPO MEMBERSHIP AND CERTIFICATION IN 2019

Key highlights from2010 to 2019
2019

2018
• RSPO reached 4,000
members• North America region
reached 500 members• RSPO reached 4,577
members across 94
countries/territories• Achieved 3 million ha of
CSPO production area and15 million mt of global
CSPO produced (19% of total
global palm oil production)

2017

2016
• RSPO reached 3,000
members• Europe region reached2,000 members

2012• RSPO reached 1,000
members• Europe region reached
500 members• North America region, andIndonesia reached 100
members

2010• First member from Africa
region• Greater China region and
Latin America region
reached 100 members

2014• RSPO reached 2,000
members• Europe region reached1,000 members• RSPO CSPO production area
reached over 2 million haand exceeded 10 million
mt of global CSPO produced(18% of total global palm oil
production)

2011• RSPO reached 50
countries• Malaysia reached 100
members• Achieved the ﬁrst 1
million ha of CSPO
production area and 5
million mt of global CSPO
produced (10% of total
global palm oil production)

Impact Report 2019

14 | GROWING OUR MEMBERSHIP AND CERTIFICATIONRSPO MEMBERSHIP IN 2019
The RSPO membership has been garnering positive growth on a yearly basis since the inauguration of RSPO. Looking back on thepast decade, RSPO membership has grown by eightfold with just 558 members in 2010 to 4,577 as at 31 December 2019. We grewfrom 41 member countries/territories to 94 and we are committed to continuously working to support the growing number ofmembers across the world.
Moving forward, RSPO will place efforts on enhancing the member’s portal, i.e. MyRSPO, to empower members in updating theirprofile and database effortlessly. We will also continue our efforts in building the capacity and knowledge of our members regarding
the RSPO sustainability journey via the membership toolkit and short tutorial videos.
During the reporting year, we are proud to have achieved positive net growth in membership across all sectors, which has notbeen recorded since 2011. Below is our membership growth for this reporting period.

Our Membership
2019

105

2018

93

Top 13 Countries of RSPO Membership(as at 31 December 2019)
2,632

1,840

2,255
Affiliate Members

1,711
Associate Members

Ordinary Members

United States

Germany(2018: 482)

(2018: 462)

540

United Kingdom

Netherlands(2018: 425)

(2018: 225)

452
Ordinary Membership
Consumer Goods
Manufacturers

Processors andTraders

870

638(2018: 829)

Oil Palm Producers

181(2018: 171)

Environmental NGOs

45

(2018: 39)

Banks/Investors

17(2018: 14)(2018: 575)

Retailers

76(2018: 72)

Social NGOs

13

(2018: 11)

477
233

Italy

France(2018: 198)(2018: 177)

216

187

Japan

Spain

(2018: 117)(2018: 146)

177

164

Belgium

Australia(2018: 151)

(2018: 135)

161

147

Malaysia

China(2018: 132)(2018: 82)

145

129

Indonesia

Others(2018: 102)(2018: 1,225)

106

1,443

Impact Report 2019

GROWING OUR MEMBERSHIP AND CERTIFICATION | 15

RSPO CERTIFICATION IN 2019
RSPO provides a global certification system for oil palm products to stipulate best practices and offer assurance to customers thatthe palm oil in the product has come from a sustainable plantation. To ensure a credible and transparent certification system, all
RSPO members that physically produce or handle RSPO certified sustainable oil palm products will need to be certified throughthe following means:

Oil palm growers
Oil palm growers are
certified through strictverification of compliancewith the RSPO P&C.

Individual
growers

Independent
Smallholder
GroupsIndividual growers whowish to certify their Fresh
Fruit Bunches (FFB) against
the 2018 RSPO P&C can
do so under the Group
Certification Scheme.

RSPO P&C certified area grew by over 9%
year-on-year to 4,160,925 ha across 17
countries by the end of 2019. Both
Indonesia and Malaysia remained thelargest oil palm producing countries
collectively, covering a total of 81% of
RSPO’s total certified area. In Latin
America, the certified area has increased
by 16% since the last reporting period.
As at 31 December 2019, there were 412
certified palm oil mills with an annual
certified production volume of 15,192,356
mt of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil(CSPO) and 3,383,788 mt of Certified
Sustainable Palm Kernel (CSPK), reflecting
a 13% and 11% year-on-year increase
respectively. Total certified production
area cultivated by RSPO members isrecorded at 3,051,930 ha, which is a 9%
increase from 2,807,377 ha in 2018.

Supply chain
actorsSupply chain actors thatuse RSPO certified
sustainable oil palm
products are audited
against the RSPO Supply
Chain Certification
Standard (SCCS).

Independent Smallholders
shall comply with the RSPO
Independent Smallholder(ISH) Standard with atransition period of one year
from the date of adoption(6th November 2019).

RSPO Certified Area by Region (’000 ha)
2,121.7
1,899.7
1,230.2
1,159.9

304.8 355.3

Indonesia
2018

Malaysia

Latin America

243.3 246.3

207.3 207.3

Rest ofAsia Paciﬁc

Africa2019

Note: All figures are inclusive of certified area for smallholders certified under group certification. Certified
area data are representative of the calendar year (1 January to 31 December).

Certified Volume of CSPO and CSPK (’000 mt)
15,192.3
12,886.1

12,154.1

2,996.5

2015
CSPO

2,769.3

2016

13,474.5
11,616.3

2,638.8

2017

3,061.1

2018

3,383.8

2019

CSPK

Note: Data is based on the projected annual production of certified mills. All figures are cumulative of
the calendar year (1 January to 31 December).

Impact Report 2019

16 |DELIVERINGASSURANCEAND CREDIBILITY

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY | 17

Key highlights from2010 to 2019
2019

2018
• Adoption of the 2018 P&C• Developed the new Complaints portal• Established the Investigation and Monitoring
Unit (IMU) (page 23)• Endorsement of the RSPO Governance Review
by the RSPO BoG• Formed the Assurance Standing Committee(ASC) (page 18)• Kickstarted the revision of the RSPO
Certiﬁcation System for P&C and NPP
document• Endorsement of RSPO Dispute Settlement
Facility (DSF) Framework Principles and the ToR• Kickstarted the review of RSPO SCCS and SCC
Systems document 2017

2017

2016
• Reviewed RSPO P&C, RSPO SCCS 2014 and SCC
Systems 2014

• Revised RSPO P&C• Endorsement of the RSPO Complaints andAppeal Procedures (CAP) by the RSPO Board ofGovernors (BoG)• Revised RSPO SCCS 2014 and SCC Systems
2014 for the second time

2015
2014
• Divided SCC into two documents: RSPO Supply
Chain Certiﬁcation Standard (SCCS) 2014 and
RSPO SCC Systems 2014
• Appointed Accreditation Services International(ASI) as sole accreditation body for RSPO

2011
• Established RSPO Supply Chain Certiﬁcation(SCC) Systems 2011

• Revised the NPP document to align with P&C
2013• Formed the Assurance Task Force (ATF)• Introduced the Assessor Licensing Scheme(ALS) to strengthen High Conservation Value(HCV) Assessment

2013• Reviewed RSPO Complaints System

2010• New Planting Procedure (NPP) came into force
for all new oil palm planting

Impact Report 2019

18 | DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY

As a standard-setting body and a member of the International
Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL)
Alliance, RSPO places continuous effort in moving towards ourgoal of being a trusted and credible assurance system. This fits
our purpose of being transparent in driving the support andincreasing the uptake of sustainable requirements, as well as toserve as a channel for system improvement and learning. We
endeavour to achieve this goal through quality management of
our assurance and oversight processes, alongside effective
grievance mechanisms that provide fair resolutions. Additionally,
improving our standards for consistency and effectiveness, whileembracing the application of new verification methods to improve
our assurance system. We also ensure that we continue to work
closely with all our stakeholders through a robust and efficient
operating structure made up of the RSPO BoG, Standing
Committees, Working Groups, Sub-Groups and Task Forces.
Our efforts in the past decade in these approaches aredemonstrated through various channels, including but not limited
to the consistent reviews and improvements to our certification
standards and systems, with the latest implementation of the2018 RSPO P&C and review of the RSPO SCCS; setup of an
Assurance Standing Committee to further elevate our assurance
system (refer to page 18); continuous improvement to ourcomplaints system throughout the years, which resulted in theestablishment of the RSPO Complaints and Appeals Procedure(CAP) in 2017 (refer to page 21); and establishment of the RSPO
Investigation and Monitoring Unit (IMU) (refer to page 23).To
further maintain the integrity of our assurance system, we areaware that consistent and transparent communication with our
stakeholders is paramount. Therefore, we have also worked on
the publication of all assurance-related documents on relevant
web pages where they are updated periodically to remain
relevant.
As we move into 2020, we will continue to work closely with all
our stakeholders to move towards our goal of delivering quality
and credible assurance that builds stakeholders’ confidence andtrust that sustainability requirements are met.

RSPO ASSURANCE STANDING
COMMITTEE (ASC)The Setup and Mandates
In 2015, RSPO passed a resolution that led to the formation of
the Assurance Task Force (ATF). The ATF is in place to identify
all necessary steps to ensure robust assessment, verification andcertification against the RSPO standard. In 2019, RSPO made way
for the ASC to provide direction in contributing to the credibility
and accountability of the RSPO Assurance System, effectively
replacing the RSPO ATF, which was then dissolved. The firstphysical meeting of the ASC was held in Bangkok in November
2019, in conjunction with the RSPO RT17. A new Assurance
Integrity Unit (AIU) was also set up within the RSPO Secretariat
to mobilise and assist the facilitation of the ASC.

In order to deliver credible certification, verification and grievance, we seek to achieve the following with the ASC:

Ensure better
compliance with RSPO
certification

Develop social
auditing capacity

Ensure Certification
Bodies (CBs) andassessors are fit
for purpose

Ensure legality andtraceability of Fresh Fruit
Bunches (FFB)

Ensure the quality
and consistency ofauditsEnsure shared
responsibility isimplemented asintended

Build capacity ofauditors through more
rigorous training

Moving forward in 2020, RSPO’s ASC will also utilise a risk-based approach in delivering a credible assurance system. The intentionof the risk-based approach is to give the RSPO and auditors upfront information that could lead to focus oriented audits, possible
reduction in man-days, and updated information at the unit of certification. All of these are fed from a series of data gathered by
IMU and other technologies available. Among others, efforts will be placed to strengthen the requirements for auditors and todevelop and update relevant guidance and system documents.

More information on the ASC, including the ToR and its
responsibilities, can be found on our webpage.

Impact Report 2019

DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY | 19

CERTIFICATION SYSTEMS AND STANDARDS
2018 Principles and Criteria (P&C)
Following the endorsement and implementation of the 2018 P&C, we have carried out roadshows globally in an effort to increase
RSPO certification in 2019. The first ever CB-growers workshop was also conducted to align the understanding of the 2018 P&C by
both parties. The P&C is adapted for further use by some countries through National Interpretations (NIs) as different countries
may have different laws for the same criteria. We have started working on NIs for Nigeria, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ecuador,
Honduras, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire since the endorsement of the 2018 P&C. As of 2019, NIs of the new 2018 P&C for Papua
New Guinea and Solomon Island, Malaysia, Ghana, and India have been endorsed by the BoG.
For more information and highlights from the 2018 P&C, please refer to page 18 of our Impact Update 2019.
The 2018 P&C is also available for download from our webpage.

Roadshows conducted globally in the following countries in 2019:

MALAYSIAINDONESIA- Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak- Jakarta, Palangkaraya and Medan

MADAGASCARGHANA

COLOMBIAECUADOR- Toamasina- Bogotá

HONDURAS- San Pedro Sula

- Accra- Quito

GUATEMALA- Ciudad de Guatemala

Impact Report 2019

20 | DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY

Supply Chain Certification
Standard (SCCS) and Systems
In ensuring the traceability of the certified
palm oil from the certified plantations andmill, all supply chain actors including
independent mills are required to becertified under the RSPO Supply Chain
Certification Standard (SCCS). With thiscertification, companies that have beensuccessfully audited against the RSPO SCCS
are able to claim the use of (or supportof) RSPO certified sustainable oil palm
products and employ the use of the RSPO
Trademark on their product packaging.
Since 2010, the RSPO SCCS has undergone
a series of revisions. In 2014, the SCCS
documents were divided into two separate
documents to address the requirements
to certificate holders and certification
bodies. Following the review andenforcement of the 2018 RSPO P&C, we
also kickstarted the review of our SCCS
and SCC Systems in 2019 with a public
consultation for 60 days. The SCCS public
consultation was held from 5 July 2019 to
4 September 2019 while the SCC Systems
ran from 18 July 2019 to 17 September
2019. During this period, we conducted:

CBs Workshops:
Indonesia(July 2019)

Bogota, Colombia(September 2019)

Documents Revised for SCCS:

1. RSPO Supply Chain Certification Standard 2014 (Revised 2017)
2. RSPO Supply Chain Requirements in P&C 2018
3. Guidance Document for RSPO Supply Chain Certification of Food Service
Company/Companies (single/multi-site/group certification) (2018)
4. RSPO Rules for Oleochemicals and its Derivatives (2016)

Document Revised for SCC Systems:

1. RSPO Supply Chain Certification Systems 2014 (Revised 2017)

Face-to-Face Consultations:
Netherlands(20 August 2019)

Malaysia(27 August 2019)

Indonesia(29 August 2019)

Webinars:
15 August 2019 (in Spanish)

22 August 2019 (in English)

More information on our SCCS and SCC Systems can be found on our webpage.

RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard
During the revision process of the 2013 RSPO P&C, a new
subgroup of the RSPO Review Task Force, called the Smallholder
Interim Group (SHIG) was formed to provide recommendations
to revise the approach to smallholder inclusion by simplifying
the RSPO standard.
This led to the development of a separate standard, the RSPO
Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard, which responds to theneeds of independent smallholders with a simplified approachto certification that better considers the diversity and incentivesof smallholders globally.
The RSPO ISH Standard underwent a few rounds of public
consultations and was adopted at the RSPO 16th General
Assembly in November 2019.

To Whom Does the RSPO ISH Standard
Apply?
•

Total combined plots of an individual smallholder thatare under oil palm production•

Total area belonging to the individual member that
does not exceed the size threshold (50 hectares oras defined in the National Interpretation)•

Existing plots under oil palm production•

Plots that are allocated for replanting or new plantingsof oil palm•

Plots that are, or may potentially, be allocated for
new plantings of oil palm

How does the new Smallholder Standard propose to simplify certification?
•
•
•
•
•
•

Easier entry into the RSPO system
Phased approach to compliance
Criteria are tailored to smallholder context
Simplified assessment and verification
Easier and quicker access to markets - RSPO Credits
Group Certification System
More information on our ISH Standard can be found on our
webpage.

In this reporting period, two (2) physical meetings of the SHIG
with balanced representation from all stakeholder groups, andwith several subgroups working in between the physicalmeetings, were held. Workshops were conducted across six (6)countries including Ghana, Honduras, Thailand, Malaysia,
Indonesia and Colombia. Three (3) rounds of public consultations
lasting 60 days each were carried out during which public
consultations were also organised globally across all regions.
Comments were received in seven (7) different languages throughonline surveys.

Impact Report 2019

DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY | 21

COMPLAINTS
Our Complaints System is an impartial and transparent process providing stakeholders with an avenue to address complaints
against RSPO members. It provides a framework and mechanism for us to handle complaints. However, it is not a replacement for
legal requirements and mechanisms that are in place.
Throughout the years, we have continuously worked on the improvement of our Complaints System. The key achievement of thepast decade was the endorsement and implementation of our Complaints and Appeals Procedures (CAP) in 2017. Following the CAP,
we have also developed a new Complaints portal (webpage), which is in line with the RSPO’s efforts to improve our services andstrengthen our credibility. The following are some of the improvements made to the Complaints portal:•

A new look for the case tracker, which includes a progress bar to monitor the progress of a complaint and the Complaints
Reference number for transparency of process and clarity.

•

The introduction of an online complaints submission process to improve accessibility and efficiency.

Complaints Cases by Year (2010-2019)
Number of cases

%

25

23

23
21

20

18

17
15

15

50

12

40

9

9

10

30

8
5

5

5

5

0

13

13

0

0

2010

2011

20

2

2012

2013

2014

10
2015

2016

2017

Pre-CAPNew Complaints Received Each Year

70
60

16

15

80

Complaints Closed Each Year

2018

2019

0

Post-CAP% Complaints Closed (Cumulative)*Note: The recorded total number of complaints closed includes complaints that were filed in previous years.

After the implementation of the CAP, the number of complaints closed each year increased by 78% from 2017 to 2018, and further
increased by 44% from 2018 to 2019.
Across the years, it can be seen that the percentage of total complaints closed (cumulative from 2010 to 2019) has been improving
year-on-year. In 2019, a significant improvement was observed whereby 69% of our total complaints received were closed, indicating
further improvement on the closure of complaints.

Photo credit: RSPO & Ernst Young

Impact Report 201922 | DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY

Average Work Days to Close Complaints and Open/Closed Cases by Year
Number of cases
25

Year

Pre-CAP
ClosurePost-CAP
ClosureOverall

2010

1,196

0

1,196

1,200

2011

908

0

908

1,000

2012

655

0

655

800

2013

590

0

590

600

2014

600

0

600

2015

554

0

554

2016

520

0

520

2017

500

302

487

1,600
1,400

20

4

15

10

3

1
5

10

5

400
17

1

200
0

Mean (Cumulative)

Working days

4

5

12

17

1
1

10

12

14

13

4

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2018

0

210

442

Average working Days for Closure

2019

0

181

426

Case closed

Case open0

Note: Average working days to close complaints and open/closed cases are clustered based on the date of case submission.

Average working days to close complaints have also reduced/improved significantly for new cases submitted since the implementationof the CAP as recorded in 2018 and 2019.

New Planting Procedures
22

Others56

Threats against
Human Rights
16
Housing; water;
sanitation
5
Health and safe
working conditions
8

Nature ofComplaint
Land
65

Human Rights Social beneﬁts
6
Human Rights Gender discrimination
1
Human Rights Labour
20

Environmental
51

Impact Report 2019

DELIVERING ASSURANCE AND CREDIBILITY | 23

Quotes from the Complaints Panel (CP)The Complaints Panel (CP) first started operations in 2010.
Since then, the Panel has, particularly in the last few years,
improved significantly in the efficiency of its operations.
This is largely due to the work of the Secretariat inestablishing standard SOPs in the way it operates andcommunicates with complainants and complainees, aswell as the members of the CP. As a result, the newcomplaints are now dealt with far more efficiently and
expeditiously. At the same time, credit must be given to
our CP members. They devote a significant amount oftime every month, not only at our monthly online
meetings, but also between meetings, answering questions
and commenting as required on questions posed by theComplaints Secretariat. We are lucky to have such aharmonious team.

Since I joined the RSPO CP in 2013, a lot has changed.
The adoption of the RSPO CAP in 2017 has enabled thePanel and the Secretariat to deal with cases in a more
systematic and professional way, respecting clear
timelines. Nevertheless, some things have also remained
the same. An important aspect to me is the multistakeholder character of the panel. Each panel is usuallycomposed of a combination of industry and NGO
perspectives so the case can be seen from different
perspectives and often also from various geographies.
Even though the decisions are sometimes challenged,
people can trust that each and every case will be seriously
investigated and get the attention it deserves.
MARIEKE LEEGWATER, SNGO Solidaridad

HENRY BARLOW, Honorary Member

In recent years, the Complaints process has seen vast improvements, resulting in a more effective system that can react toallegations of non-compliance with efficiency, rigour and transparency.
MICHELLE DESILETS, ENGO Orangutan Land Trust

RSPO INVESTIGATION AND MONITORING UNIT (IMU)
Our Investigation and Monitoring Unit (IMU) was established inJuly 2018 and reports to the RSPO Secretariat’s Chief Operating
Officer (COO). The IMU comprises of an Investigation Manager,a Risk Management and Monitoring Manager, and a Geographic
Information System (GIS) Manager. The primary objective of the
IMU is to conduct investigations and facilitate risk mitigation
through close collaboration with other departments within the
RSPO Secretariat and relevant stakeholders. The IMU works
closely with the Complaints Unit for Post Complaints Monitoring
to ensure the appropriate implementation of the CP’s order andthe Membership Unit to review the concession boundary
submission for membership application and submission during
the Annual Communication of Progress (ACOP). We alsocollaborate with other departments to monitor risks from publicdomain and investigation. To ensure our continued progress, arisk-based approach to investigation and monitoring is to be
adopted given the dynamic nature of RSPO’s assurance system,
and as it more readily facilitates continual improvements in
implementation and adherence to the RSPO principles andstandards.
One of the key efforts to note is that the IMU has been actively
monitoring, with satellite technology, all detected fire hotspots
within both RSPO certified and non-certified concessions in
Malaysia and Indonesia since 2018.
Refer to page 50 for further information on RSPO Hotspot Fire
Monitoring.

Photo credit: RSPO & Ernst Young

Impact Report 2019

24 |SHARING THERESPONSIBILITYFOR
SUSTAINABLE
PALM OIL

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

SHARING THE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL | 25

KEY CONCEPTS UNDERLYING RSPO’SSHARED RESPONSIBILITY

Highlights of SR in 2019:•

Our biggest highlight for SR is the final document of
the RSPO Shared Responsibility Requirements and
Implementation that was produced by the SRTF andendorsed by the BoG. The document sets out a listof indicators with themes from the 2018 RSPO P&C
and the specific requirements for non-producer
members. These indicators will then be incorporated
into the respective existing RSPO standards andsystems accordingly. Within the document, targets forour supply chain actors have also been set up in Year
1 and subsequent annual targets will be developed
based on the data collected in Year 1.

•

Our achievements with SR to date are due to the
support and collaboration of all our members. RSPO
members have made a bold commitment to step up
their efforts through the implementation of the new
SR rules. Mutually accountable, members throughout
the supply chain will now work together to increase
the uptake of CSPO.

COMMITMENT
All the actors commit to their contribution totransforming markets.
COLLABORATION
Recognise the need to work together and makethat happen: transformation of markets cannot
happen without collaboration.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Commitment and collaboration are to be fulfilledwith a shared responsibility for impact. The
expectation of partners and members is that they
commit to participate and there is mutual andagreed accountability for results.

All RSPO members have a role in making sustainable palm oil
the norm and this recognition is the underlying driver of theconcept of ‘Shared Responsibility (SR)’. The beginnings of the
RSPO SR concept can be traced back to 2008 as a result of aresolution during the 5th General Assembly that calls for RSPO
members to annually report their time-bound plan progress to
produce, trade, process, purchase or use certified sustainablepalm oil via their ACOP report. From then on, the concept of SR
has evolved and improved based on two other resolutions(resolution 6m and 6d) in 2012. In 2018, the SR concept wasonce again revisited during the review of the 2018 RSPO P&C.
The revision exercise eventually led to a call for an SR Task Force(SRTF) to be established to develop a set of indicators that are
required to be implemented by RSPO non-producing ordinary
members as aligned with the new RSPO P&C.

SR is an innovative way of driving uptake and there is no otherframework available among Voluntary Sustainability Standards(VSS) for reference and we are taking the leadership role in thisjourney. As such, there will be continuous innovation and learning
throughout the journey and we will work to review, revise andimprove our SR requirements and mechanisms as we move along.
Since the implementation of SR in this reporting period, we will
now be able to start collecting impact data and report this foreach of our membership sectors. This enables us to further
expand our impact delivery in the future, not just in promoting
the production of sustainable palm oil, but also in increasing theuptake of sustainable palm oil.

The SRTF was officially established in March 2019, completed its
objectives in October 2019 and was formally retired in November
2019. In October 2019, the RSPO BoG approved the landmark
rules calling for SR by endorsing a document produced by the
SRTF known as the RSPO Shared Responsibility Requirements
and Implementation (webpage). The final SRTF work was thenpromoted at the RSPO RT17 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Following the retirement of the SRTF, the BoG has proceededwith a recommendation from the SRTF to set up a working groupto review the Year 1 implementation of SR and to continue todevelop technical documentation to support the implementationof SR.

More information on the Shared Responsibility Working Group(SRWG) is available on the RSPO webpage.

Video Credit: RSPO

Impact Report 2019

26 |

>>>

JURISDICTIONALAPPROACHES TOSUSTAINABLE
LANDSCAPES

Photo Credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

JURISDICTIONAL APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES | 27>>>

JOURNEY TO A JURISDICTIONAL APPROACH TO CERTIFICATIONThe Jurisdictional Approach (JA) aims to address environmental and social issues by strengthening stakeholders’ engagement andensuring the inclusion of all producers, focusing on smallholders, through committed government involvement, and creating a wider
impact area than that of a single producer certification. Continuous effort is required to progress towards achieving: i) landscapelevel of no deforestation, no new planting on peat, ensuring safe and decent working conditions, and upholding of human rights,
and ii) the certification of sustainable production and processing of oil palm products, managed and supported through a multistakeholder governed entity called the Jurisdictional Entity.
Below is a snapshot timeline of our journey with JA:

Journey to a

Jurisdictional Approach
2019

2018
• The RSPO BoG endorsed
Jurisdictional Working Group(JWG) for the development of
RSPO Jurisdictional Approach
to RSPO Certiﬁcation
Framework

2015• RSPO made JA commitment at
the 13th RSPO General
Assembly• Sabah State Government
declared commitment to be
100% RSPO certiﬁed by 2025
• Central Kalimantan announced
its JA commitment• Established Sabah andSeruyan RSPO JA pilot projects• First draft of JA framework(Certiﬁcation System
Document, CSD) was madeavailable and went through a60-day public consultation
period• Conducted benchmarking
study on three (3) JA pilot
projects

2016• JA concept was introduced in aworkshop organised by Forest,
Farms, and Finance Initiative(3Fi) - where RSPO is amember and have participatedin the workshop

2014• The JA concept was
introduced at a workshop
organised by Forest, Farms,
and Finance Initiative (3Fi),
where RSPO is a member

Impact Report 201928 | JURISDICTIONAL APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES>>>In 2019, significant progress has been made towards finalising the RSPO JA framework. Our key highlights and achievements withthe first draft of the JA Certification System Document (CSD) framework include the following:
Identification of requirements that can be upward delegated (conducted at the jurisdictional level), such as HCV 1, 2 and 3, andrequirements that need to be done on the ground locally (management unit level), such as FPIC and HCV 4, 5 and 6.
Introduction of a stepwise approach to certification in the JA framework
Introduction of Jurisdictional Entity as the central facilitating body for the jurisdictional certification process.
Conducted six (6) face-to-face consultations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Liberia and Ecuador. A total of 177 individuals, representing
various stakeholder groups, participated in the public consultation to provide comments on the first draft of the framework.
Conducted and received online feedback for the JA framework.

RSPO Jurisdictional Approach Public Consultation Locations

OnlineFeedback:
24

25

Consumer Goods Forum, CGF

16
Sabah
30
Ecuador

28
Jakarta

19
Liberia42

Over the years, various efforts and achievements have led tothe jurisdictional level:

Enhancing Governance• Establishment of multistakeholder group in
advancing the initiative

Zoning of Protection(conservation) versus
Development• Spatial planning and HCV
assessment

Uplift Smallholder
Livelihood• Mapping capacity building

Implement Practiceof FPIC

23
Seruyan

Lingkar Temu
Kabupatan Lestari (LTKL)Our journey towards JA certification is not without its challenges,
such as cost effectiveness, the assurance around assessment
and auditing quality, practicality at a landscape level, and supportof donors and buyers. Positive market signals are crucial inensuring the efforts are worthwhile and should be expanded.
In progressing towards a more impactful JA, RSPO recognises
the importance of stepping up on local and international-level
collaborations to develop an enabling environment for effective
implementation. The RSPO JWG will continue to place efforts inestablishing and/or enhancing relevant infrastructures for
Jurisdictional Approach for Certification.

• Policy and guidancedevelopment

Impact Report 2019JURISDICTIONAL APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES | 29>>>

JA PILOT STUDIES – SABAH (MALAYSIA), SERUYAN (INDONESIA) AND ECUADOR
In 2019, a benchmarking study was conducted to take stock on the progress and efforts in advancing the initiative and to learn
from the challenges and opportunity to ensure the development of a more comprehensive and practical RSPO framework. Someof the key updates to our JA pilot projects are as follows:

Malaysia
On 21 October 2015, the Sabah State Cabinet approved a multi-stakeholder proposal to move Sabah to 100% RSPO CSPO production
by 2025. The Implementation of the Year One Action Plan is almost completed. The WWF Living Landscape Programme (LLP)(webpage) targeting 60,000 ha of middle-sized holders within the Sugut and Tawau landscapes for certification by 2023 is at theinitial stage. In this reporting period, we have carried out the advancement of the three (3) goals:

GOAL 1
To achieve no loss of High
Conservation Value (HCV) and High
Carbon Stock (HCS) forests for all
oil palm producing landscapes in
Sabah
Progress in 2019:
Completed methodology review
Write-up of report (ongoing)
Conduct stakeholder consultation
sessions when report and HCV
maps are ready.

GOAL 2
Free, Prior and Informed Consent(FPIC) to enable zero conflict in oilpalm producing landscapes in Sabah

GOAL 3To strengthen smallholder
sustainability and uplift livelihoods
Progress in 2019:

Progress in 2019:
Completed field-testing of the
FPIC Guide within the pilot areas
Revision and finalisation of the
FPIC Guide
Identification of suitable department
or ministry in Sabah to ‘house’
FPIC – the Ministry of Law and
Native Affairs have agreed to coconvene on this matter.

Smallholder Certification Roadmap
2025 developed
A collaboration with the MalaysianPalm Oil Board (MPOB) and Wild
Asia to increase independent
smallholders’ capacity for sustainable
farming practices and ultimately
RSPO certification
Ongoing finalisation of the
Facilitated Land Application
Process (FLAP) model developed
to assist smallholders with land
legality issues.

Indonesia
In 2015, one of the largest palm oil producing districts in Kalimantan Tengah, Seruyan, declared their commitment to jurisdictional
certification of oil palm according to RSPO standards. Since then, 352 smallholders covering 619 ha have received RSPO certification,and consequently, the pilot districts have taken a stepwise approach to jurisdictional certification that emphasises the importanceof independent smallholder farmers and to address ongoing challenges to achieve sustainable and inclusive palm oil development.
In 2019, the Seruyan district has:
Built a multi-stakeholder board and a governance platform, and developed a strategy for implementing JA
Piloted ecosystem restoration activity in one village
Finalised an ecologically sustainable spatial plan (RTRWK) and environmental protection and management plan (RPPLH)
Established an Agricultural Facility (AF) to provide agricultural inputs, training and eventually financial assistance toindependent smallholders

Impact Report 201930 | JURISDICTIONAL APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES>>>

Ecuador
The Ecuadorian Amazon has started its journey to becoming oneof the first three regions worldwide to obtain RSPO certification
under a jurisdictional approach. The successful creation of theInterinstitutional Steering Committee for Sustainable Oil Palm
(CISPS) in 2017/2018, led to a committed Action Plan. The
underlying agreement of the 10 principles covers human rights,
labour rights, environment and sustainability covering zerodeforestation by 2022 in the Amazon region, transparency, andthe fight against corruption.
The Pro Amazonia UNDP project will end in 2022, with priority
to complete the Amazon JA and consequently launch to the restof the country. Engagements with local governments and theintroduction of landscaping in their land-use planning will needto take place. Currently, we are advancing the implementationand monitoring of more than 80 activities within the Action Plan.

In 2019, we realised the importance of prioritising ourstrategies in order to achieve our goal to complete thejurisdictional certification. The following are some of the
key plans that we have identified:
HCA and HCS studies and compensation where
necessary
Align with environmental permits and land tenure
titlesAdvise local governments (provincial and municipal
levels) to include HCA and HCS vision in landplanning
Participate in the JA Working Group
Adapt to FPIC requirements
Work on a traceability scheme
Strengthen local producer’s associations and capacity
building programmes
Design an auditing system and a Jurisdictional Entity

IMPROVING SMALLHOLDER INCLUSION
JA is also a significant step towards working collaboratively to
improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. Through thesupport of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
the Supporting Smallholders Towards Improved Livelihoods andSustainable Production project was initiated to explore effective
mechanisms to increase the capacity of smallholders to adopt
agricultural practices that improve productivity while reducing
negative environmental and social impacts, which can be
implemented at landscape or jurisdictional level.
Upon the completion of the project by December 2019, a totalof 1,902 smallholders benefited, which included 1,219 smallholders
in Telupid, Tongod, Beluran and Kinabatangan districts (TTBK) of
Sabah and 683 smallholders in Seruyan. Specifically, the project
has successfully:

The results and findings of the project helped shape thejurisdictional approach for certification initiatives in Sabah andSeruyan; and furthermore, the development of the RSPO JA for
Certification system. The project also contributed to the overall
RSPO Smallholder Strategy, and the implementation of the RSPO
Smallholder Trainer Academy (STA). The design of the Agricultural
Facility in Seruyan can be replicated in other regions and hostfurther RSPO Train the Trainer programmes; the Facilitated Land
Application Process methodology in Sabah can be replicated inareas with similar legal requirements; and the knowledge
exchange programme can be extended to areas beyond theSouth East Asian region for wider knowledge sharing.

Identified smallholder needs and established the relevant
capacity building infrastructure
Developed a roadmap for effective interventions forsmallholders moving towards RSPO Jurisdictional
Certification
Established a government-led Agricultural Facility (AF)providing input, capacity building and supports on financial
management
Conducted knowledge exchange and Train the Trainer (ToT)
programmes between and across Seruyan and Sabah.

Photo credit: RSPO

Impact Report 2019

| 31

>>>

IMPACT 2019
Our work does not stop at standard-setting, research and advocacy. We are committed to monitoring and reporting on our members’
impacts across three (3) impact areas according to the RSPO ToC:

Impact Goal PEOPLE:

Sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction
Offers insights on members’ progress in raising the quality oflife for both plantation workers and indigenous residents in thevicinity of oil palm operations.
Principle 4. Respect community and human rights, and deliver
benefits
Principle 5. Support smallholder inclusion
Principle 6. Respect workers’ rights and conditions

Impact Goal PLANET:

Conserved, protected and enhanced ecosystems
that provide for the next generation
Demonstrates growers’ sensitivity to both landscape and species
conservation, as well as the protection of ecosystems andbiodiversity for the next generation.
Principle 7. Protect, conserve and enhance ecosystems and theenvironment

Impact Goal PROSPERITY:

Competitive, resilient and sustainable sector
Identify active steps taken to optimise productivity, efficiency andresilience of sustainable palm oil production and distribution.
Principle 1. Behave ethically and transparently
Principle 2. Operate legally and respect rights
Principle 3. Optimise productivity, efficiency, positive impacts
and resilience

Impact Report 2019

32 |OUR IMPACT

Photo Credit: RSPO & Ernst YoungOUR IMPACT | 33

IMPACT FOR PEOPLE

Sustainable palm oil production can only be achieved with equal opportunities extending to all individuals engaged in palm oil
production. Our commitments are not solely to improve the livelihoods of oil palm smallholders and plantation workers, but also
their family members and the wider local and indigenous communities impacted by the production of palm oil. The RSPO’s
effort to support people aims to contribute to sustainable livelihoods and human rights as aligned with United Nations
Declaration of Human Rights the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at
Work.
Over the decade, we have continuously heightened our efforts to demonstrate our commitments and our impact as we continue
to identify ways to further assess, monitor and improve our approach. We thrive to strengthen the foundations of sustainable palm
oil worldwide, providing insights, knowledge and expertise that our stakeholders can trust. Every person engaged in palm oil
production should have access to equal opportunities to fulfil their potential in work and community with dignity and equality,
under a healthy working and living environment.
One of the key approaches that we have in place is through the RSPO P&C where improvements have been made to strengthensocial development across the sustainable palm oil value chain. Our latest 2018 P&C saw further strengthening of social
elements as well as human and labour rights whereby topics such as Decent Living Wage (DLW), and gender inclusivity, as wellas additional indicators to ensure food security, and comprehensive protection of local communities and indigenous peoples’
wellbeing, through stronger Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) requirements, were strengthened.
Aside from this, we have also continuously worked to improve our engagement and support for oil palm smallholders. Our efforts
can be reflected through the development and endorsement of a new standard for independent smallholders, as well as various
outreach and training initiatives for smallholders.
Some of the tools, guidelines and initiatives that we have developed across the years to assist our members with the implementationand compliance with our standards, and to support greater inclusion of oil palm smallholders, are as follows:

Community Outreach
Programme(refer to page 37-38)

Decent Living Wage (DLW)
guidance document

Free, Prior and Informed
Consent (FPIC) guide

Human Rights Defender(HRD) Policy

webpagewebpagewebpage

RSPO Smallholder Strategy(refer to page 39)

RSPO Independent
Smallholder (ISH) Standard(refer to page 20)

RSPO Smallholder Trainer
Academy (STA)(refer to page 39)

RSPO Smallholder Support
Fund (RSSF)(refer to page 40)[Note: For more information and updates on the above, please refer to its respective pages or click on the icons to be directed to the respective webpages]

Moving into 2020 and beyond, we will continuously review our policies and procedures to enable inclusive access to benefits andcreate harmony between communities and the organisations.

Impact Report 201934 | OUR IMPACT

Key highlights from2010 to 2019
2019

2018
• Published the Mandatory Requirements for
Certiﬁcation Bodies in Assessing FPIC for NPP• BoG endorsed the Human Rights Defender(HRD) Policy• P&C Review 2018 that emphasised Human
Rights criteria• Launched the RSPO Engagement Platform(RSEP)• Dissolved SHWG and realigned RSSF fund focus
with Smallholder Strategy• Updated the Guidance for Group Manager on
HCV in established oil palm plantation (Criteria
5.2)

2016
• Kickstarted the development of the
Smallholder Strategy• Introduced the RSPO Smallholder Board Game– guide to certiﬁcation• Initiated RSPO’s ﬁrst Community Outreach
Programme

2014• Established the Human Rights Working Group(HRWG)• Published the RSPO Guidance for
Implementing Decent Living Wage (DLW)• Completed the Pilot for Children’s Rights andBusiness Principles• Published the RSPO Guidance for Calculating
Prevailing Wages• Adopted the RSPO Independent Smallholder(ISH) Standard at GA16
• Oﬃcially launched the RSPO Smallholder
Trainer Academy (STA)2017• Signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between UNICEF and RSPO in collaboration topromote children’s rights in the palm oil sector• Formation of the RSPO’s ﬁrst Labour Task
Force
• Established the Smallholder Interim Group(SHIG) to develop the RSPO Independent
Smallholder (ISH) Standard• Engaged with Aﬂatoun International to develop
the RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy (STA)• Endorsed RSPO Smallholder Strategy

2015• The HRWG developed the Free, Prior andInformed Consent (FPIC) Guide, which wasendorsed by the BoG• The SHWG and Biodiversity and High
Conservation Values Working Group (BHCVWG)
endorsed the Guidance for Group Manager on
High Conservation Value (HCV) in establishedoil palm plantation

2013

2012

• Created the RSPO Smallholder Support Fund(RSSF)• Established the Smallholder Working Group(SHWG)

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 35

SUMMARY OF IMPACT2018
RSPO P&C

RSPO ToC
Strategies

Innovation instandards
andbenchmarks
Crediblecertification,verification
andgrievance

Principles
4, 5 and 6

Participatory
approach forsmallholders

DesiredOutputsandOutcomes

Outputs
Implemented
BMPs
Increasedknowledge
and capacity
Smallholder
participation
Effective
standards andimplementation systems

Outcomes
Human rights
upheldSafe decent
work

Key
Initiatives
2019

Decent Living
Wage
Development ofModules on
Capacity Building
on FPIC for
members andcommunity
representative
Human Rights
DefenderChildren’s Rights
and Business
Programme
ReportCommunity
Outreach
Programme
Adopted RSPOISH Standard
Smallholder
Trainer Academy

Impact for
PeopleSafeguarding
people against
externalities arisingfrom palm oil
production
Contributing to the
UN SDGs:

Inclusive
access tobenefits

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

Impact Report 201936 | OUR IMPACT

WORKERS’ RIGHTS AND CONDITIONS
Protecting workers’ rights and ensuring safe and decent working
conditions remains one of the key priorities for RSPO.

Ulula – Worker Voice Technology
Ulula is a mobile-based communication solution to
engage directly with workers for continuous monitoringand improving working conditions. In 2018, RSPO
partnered with Ulula to pilot the tool during an
independent field verification related to a complaints
case in North Sumatra. Through this effort, RSPO saw
the potential to further collaborate with Ulula. In 2019,
RSPO then collaborated with Ulula and Wilmar
International Limited (Wilmar) to initiate a pilot
programme that was aimed at testing the applicabilityof the Worker Voice tool to assist with risk monitoringof working condition and labour issues, and to develop
a more standardised set of worker engagement tool in
support of labour management practices and RSPO’s
verification process. The programme was launched in
Lahad Datu, Sabah, within the certified units of Wilmar.

Story from the ground
Wilmar International Limited
Wilmar International Limited (Wilmar) actively participatesin various partnerships, collaborative endeavour andmulti-stakeholder platforms to promote, respect andprovide support for human and labour rights. Throughtheir sustainability commitments, they carried out acomprehensive company-wide programme covering awide range of human rights and labour initiatives,
including efforts to promote women’s rights, safeguarding
the rights of children in oil palm plantations, andimproving workers’ rights and welfare.
In 2019, Wilmar, alongside major companies such as
Colgate-Palmolive, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo,among others, collaborated with Business for Social
Responsibility (BSR) to drive a programme to protect therights of children living in oil palm plantations. The
programme, which will be running till the end of 2020,
has published a manual on Child Protection and
Safeguarding Implementation in December 2019.

Since its launch in 2019, a series of outreach andpromotional activities have been conducted with thesupport from Wilmar, resulting in wide-reachingparticipation. After the programme, it was found thatworkers utilised the Feedback Line to provide their
feedback to their management. Mixed categories of
feedback were issued by workers, including positive
feedback about leadership portrayed by their immediate
superiors. Through the usage of the feedback line, highrisk issues were identified, which after further
investigations, could lead to effective impactful corrective
actions. The initial reaction has been very positive, as theplatform is easy to use, and trust built on anonymity ofthe platform.
Based on the lessons learned from the first pilot, we areextending our collaboration with Wilmar to further
investigate the tool’s applicability. In 2020, we are alsocollaborating with downstream players, such as Cargill
and PepsiCo, in other oil palm growing regions toinvestigate regional tool applicability and the roles ofdownstream players in tool application.

Photo Credit: Wilmar

We have a deep understanding and appreciation thatprioritising our employees is critical to a responsible andsustainable business. There are over 12,000 children wholive in our plantations with their parents, and it isimportant to us that they are provided with thesafeguards and protection of their rights to education
and a secure childhood. We believe that thriving children
equals thriving families, and this in turn creates a stable
and healthy environment for our employees.

Photo Credit: RSPOJEREMY GOON, Chief Sustainability Officer of Wilmar
International

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 37

FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) has been endorsed by RSPO as a key principle in our 2018 P&C. The principle that bestpractice goes beyond the minimum requirements of national laws is central to RSPO. It guides the way companies engage withlocal communities (including indigenous peoples), provide information, carry out impact assessments, acquire land, handle payments
and benefits, resolve conflicts, and pay compensation. Communities have the right to refuse and say “no” and can carry out
negotiations on the terms where they can decide on a proposed development on their lands.
To help members and impacted communities to understand this concept and its implementation, the RSPO had undertaken thedevelopment of training modules in 2019 to equip members and representatives of members of the communities affected by RSPO
members’ operations. The modules were endorsed by the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG). Three workshops to pilot the useof the modules were organised in 2019, which were attended by RSPO members, community representatives, NGOs and otherstakeholder groups.

Workshops conducted in 2019:

Bogota, Colombia

Monrovia, Liberia

Medan, Indonesia

49 participants

41 participants

71 participants(25-27 June 2019)(16-18 July 2019)

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND
ENGAGEMENTThe Community Outreach Programme aims to contribute to theachievement of RSPO’s mission and vision based on the ToC,
particularly by engaging the supporting sector in creating more
platforms and dialogues. Our approach in engaging with
Intermediary Organisations (IMO) helps RSPO to connect withstakeholders that are under the radar, to facilitate bettercollaboration between both parties.
In 2014, RSPO commissioned an assessment of RSPO’s status
on its capacity to engage with communities that are impacted
by palm oil development and requested for a plan on how RSPOcan enhance its community outreach. Two years later, RSPO
initiated its first Community Outreach Programme; the pilot was
operated from Indonesia as an implementation phase. The
Community Outreach Programme for Malaysia and Africa
commenced in 2018.

(15-17 October 2019)

and this remains a challenge for RSPO. It is important to electa local body with an extensive network, a relatively neutral
position and one that possesses good capacity to work onsustainable palm oil issues. Over the years, we have invited moreparties to be involved through a transparent tender process toallow us to identify greater potential entities.
In the future, we hope to create more RSPO ambassadors fromcivil society and NGOs. To ensure we attain our goals, RSPO willneed to conduct continuous engagement, even after thecompletion of the IMO programme, and render positive exposure
on collaboration between RSPO and the IMOs, closely working
together to improve capacity and knowledge of the affected
communities.

The success of these programmes in palm oil producing regions
is attributed to RSPO’s continuous commitment to improve thecapacity and knowledge of civil society on sustainable palm oil.
It also upheld inclusivity by improving the opportunity forgrassroots stakeholders to access our system.
Working to improve the knowledge and capacity of communities
is a long and continuous process as every location has its own
characteristics, where different audience groups may also requiredifferent approaches. We need to ensure that the concept ormaterials produced by the programme are replicable and canbe adopted by other civil society organisations to help thempromote sustainable palm oil. We have learned that there arelimited options for organisations that can be engaged as an IMO

Photo Credit: RSPO

Impact Report 2019

38 | OUR IMPACT

Community Outreach Programme for Latin America
In 2019, RSPO initiated the Community Outreach Programme for Latin America, primarily focused on the work in Colombia.
The objective is to secure informed and vigorous engagement with communities in RSPO across all levels, through establishinga strengthened outreach of RSPO through IMO in Colombia, and to enhance RSPO’s credibility with civil society.
The programme entitled Enhancing the Position of Local Communities, Smallholders and Labourers Through Capacity Building
for IMOs in Accessing and Using the RSPO System was originally designed to progress for 30 months (June 2019 until December2022).
The main objectives of the programme include providing less complex and more effective accessibility for local communities
to engage with the RSPO system, facilitating local communities’ needs, priorities and rights through the use of the RSPO
system, and enhancing RSPO’s ability to engage and facilitate local communities in supporting their needs and rights.
Instituto de estudios para el desarrollo y la paz (INDEPAZ) was engaged and contracted as the IMO in the implementationof the programme for Colombia.

Story from the ground
Agroaceite S.A.
Agroaceite is one of the leading companies in the production and marketing of tropical oil in Latin America, located in thesouthwest of Guatemala. As part of their commitment to be a socially responsible company, Agroaceite donated 10 hectaresof their plantation for the construction of the Human Development Centre (HDC) facilities. The HDC forms part of theircomprehensive vision to provide access to high quality education and health coverage in their area of operation. It is aholistic and financially sustainable community development programme that has generated significant positive impact for
their employees and their families, as well as the surrounding communities.
Since 2014, the medical clinic at the HDC has treated over 31,000 patients. An innovative component of the project is thepromotion of a model of family self-management, which builds and strengthens families and communities.

Photo Credit: Agroaceite S.A.
The HDC School for Children and Workers.

Photo Credit: Agroaceite S.A.
The HDC Medical Clinic.

Some time ago I had the opportunity to visit Agroaceite´s medical center, which is managed in collaboration with the
University of Colorado. I was pleasantly impressed by the high quality service offered to the surrounding community. Thisis a good example of the kind of impact that RSPO certification aims to achieve: to improve people’s quality of life within
the company´s area of influence.
FRANCISCO NARANJO, RSPO Representative for Latin America

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 39

SMALLHOLDER INCLUSION

157,580

RSPO recognises the importance of smallholders and the need to increasesmallholder inclusion. By the end of this reporting period, we now have a totalof 157,580 certified smallholders – a 39% increase in 2019 as compared to 2018.

Total Certified Smallholders(2018: 113,248)

Underpinned by the broader philosophy of smallholder inclusion, ourSmallholder Strategy that was mandated in 2017, had an overall goal of
creating a supportive environment that empowers smallholders to achievesustainable livelihoods. Our roadmap towards this goal for greater smallholder
inclusion is demonstrated in our ToC. In 2019, two of our main milestones in
the Smallholder Strategy were achieved.

1

Launch of RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy (STA) progammeand portal

2

Endorsement of RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard

For more information on the RSPO
Smallholder Strategy, please visit our
webpage.
Throughout the reporting period, we have also
carried out market engagements through the RSPO
Smallholder Engagement Platform to increase theuptake of smallholder certifications. Moving
forward, we will work on mapping smallholders
globally and identify their baseline conditions toallow us to better evaluate how we can step in andcarry out effective engagement and help
smallholders. We will also work towards developinga smallholder hub to offer one-stop information in
multiple languages to encourage more inclusive
knowledge sharing amongst smallholders.

Total Smallholders’Certified Area
(2018: 338,982 ha)Note: Data above cover both independent and scheme
smallholders.

Refer to page 20 of the Report for more information.

In March 2019, a Smallholder Standing Committee
was formed to oversee the execution of the RSPO
Smallholder Strategy whilst also ensuring a morecomprehensive representation of smallholderinterests with allocation of responsibilities to deliver
the strategy held within one single body.

430,588 ha

Number of Certified Independent Smallholders
2019

5,130

2018

2,091

2017

1,326

2016

3,431

2015

810 350

553
261
417

2,132

2,237

1,264
350

1,383

1,231

Indonesia

Malaysia

ThailandNote: Any decrease observed is due to licence expiry.

RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy
The RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy (STA) is an initiative to empower oilpalm smallholders to enhance the transition towards more sustainable
livelihoods through the support of organisations. High quality training andtraining guides and materials are available and accessible to build a global
trainer community. The RSPO STA provides a series of training modules forgroup managers and smallholders through a system of “Train the Trainer”
approach. The type of training offered to smallholders varies and is dependent
on the individual smallholders’ needs. A range of topics around sustainability(people, planet and prosperity), which is available in six (6) languages (English,
French, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish and Thai), are offered to train smallholders,group managers and smallholder programme managers. In 2019, a total of
72 Master Trainers from 34 partners were trained across these three regions- South East Asia, Latin America and Africa.

For more information on the RSPO Smallholder
Trainer Academy, please visit our webpage.

The RSPO STA was officially unveiled at the RSPO RT17 in Bangkok.

Impact Report 201940 | OUR IMPACTRSPO Smallholder Support FundRSSF was initiated to assist smallholders in getting RSPO certified, reducing cost implications through funding that could be used
across three main categories: Certification, Audit and Impact. RSPO certified and reducing cost through funding. In achieving this,the RSPO BoG has approved the setup of the RSSF governed by the RSSF Governing Policy. This is funded through the annual
allocation of 10% of the revenue generated from the trade of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) to support smallholder certification.
To date, the RSSF has benefitted 28,542 smallholders, covering a production area of 90,584 ha of land in 11 countries.
Moving forward, with the RSPO Smallholder Strategy document becoming the reference document for all RSPO smallholder work,
there is a need to align the current RSSF Governing Policy with the document. Updates on this will be communicated via RSPO
channels accordingly.

Story from the ground

RSSF-Smallholder Supported Project in Sierra Leone
The partnership with NedOil, a Crude Palm Oil (CPO) millowned by Natural Habitats, has provided smallholders aready market and regular income. Through RSSF funding,Natural Habitats was able to improve productivity of theirfarms with the implementation of Best Management
Practices (BMPs) training, which was facilitated by
Solidaridad West Africa. During a visit to somesmallholders’ farms, a clear difference could be seen
between the health of the farms of the smallholders
benefiting from the RSSF-support and other smallholders
who are not part of the RSSF group.

According to NedOil and the farmers,
there has been at least

50%

yield improvement as a result of BMP
implementation.

NedOil collects our fruit every Monday and payment isreceived on the spot. As such, we are assured of a market
for our fruit, and weekly income.
HASSAN FORNAH, farmer of Natural Habitats

RSSF-Smallholder Supported Project in Nigeria
Since 2015, Solidaridad West Africa, through RSSF funding,has been providing Best Management Practices (BMPs)
training to a group of smallholders in Nigeria. Four poorly
maintained farms have been used as demonstration plots
to carry out training on pruning, ring/circle weeding, safe
herbicide handling and use, frond stacking, and Empty
Fruit Bunches (EFB) application, and more. The farmers,
seeing at first-hand how BMPs implementation has
improved the overall health and productivity of thedemonstration farms, have eagerly adopted andimplemented the same practices on their individual farms,
with similar results.

Photo Credit: RSPOOur farms were in a sorry state, overgrown with weeds
and woody shrubs and trees. We used to wade throughthe thickets to harvest the fruit once a month.

Within three years of BMPs implementation, yields haveincreased from 2.7 tonnes/ha to 7.4 tonnes/ha, without
the use of inorganic fertilisers.

SUNDAY ONYEAMA, one of the members of thesmallholder group in Obrenyi

EGONG EJUNO, Solidaridad Agronomist

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 41

RSSF- Smallholder Supported Project in
Cote d’Ivoire
Acquah Takyi Phillip is a 58-year-old
smallholder farmer who owns close to 50
ha of oil palm, and about four ha of rubber
plantations; oil palm constitutes his major
source of income. He is a member of
Cooptosa (a smallholder co-operative in
Cote d’Ivoire) and a beneficiary of ongoing
BMPs training being delivered by Solidaridad
West Africa, with support from the Dutch
Government-funded Sustainable West Africa
Palm Oil Programme (SWAPP), and RSSF.

RSSF-Smallholder Supported Project in Ghana
For more information on our interviews with smallholders in Ghana,please refer here.

Smallholder Impact Programme at KUD Tani Subur
KUD Tani Subur was the first independent smallholder farmer group
to be RSPO and ISPO certified in Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are partof the jurisdictional approach programme in Kotawaringin Barat andSeruyan districts in Central Kalimantan that has become an exemplarymodel in demonstrating not only the benefits of good oil palm
plantation cultivation practices but also the importance of leadershipon the journey to sustainability.
Photo Credit: RSPO

Within four years of BMPs implementation,
my yield has increased to 23 tonnes/ha.
With the improved income, I am able toafford hired labour to work on my farms,
thereby keeping my children in school.
ACQUAH TAKYI PHILLIP, smallholder
farmer and member of Cooptosa

Since 2016, the collaboration between KUD Tani Subur and Unilever,
INOBU, the district government of Kotawaringin Barat, Central
Kalimantan and RSPO has greatly improved the responsible farming
capabilities of their farmers, which resulted in better palm oil yieldand subsequent income. The collaboration has resulted in thecertification of 708 smallholders covering 1,425.42 ha.
Self-initiated and sustained approach implemented by KUD Tani Suburhas drawn many smallholders to join the Smallholder Impact Programme.
The income from the premiums have supported KUD Tani Subur toobtain a more diversified business portfolio, which includes a small
supermarket, travel agency, a recreational facility, and a collaboration
with village-run enterprises (BUMDES) that benefits the local communityand cooperative members.

Thank God, as long as I am a villager of Pangkalan Tiga Village, ourbusinesses will continue to increase because the RSPO and ISPO
programmes have benefitted us. KUD Tani Subur and INOBU havefacilitated very helpful training not just on better cultivation, but also
on how to safeguard our health as smallholders and workers while
farming, such as the use of fertiliser, Personal Protective Equipment(PPE), etc. Smallholders are very enthusiastic about this project andare grateful for the rewards it gives us.
Photo Credit: KUD Tani SuburPAK YADI, smallholder farmer of KUD Tani Subur

Impact Report 201942 | OUR IMPACT

IMPACT ON OUR PLANET

Some of the most pressing issues facing palm oil producing countries are halting deforestation, preventing fire on oil palm
concessions, protecting peatlands, and the associated destruction of biodiversity. These have always been an important focus areafor RSPO and our stakeholders, and we have continuously worked together to improve our efforts in addressing these concerns
within the last 10 years. The collaborative work with our stakeholders can be seen through our working groups and task forcesthat involve representatives from each stakeholder group who will feed into the decision-making process.
RSPO’s efforts in addressing these issues are reflected by the continuous improvement of the RSPO P&C, which involves requirements
for growers to protect and conserve High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests, and rare, threatenedor endangered (RTE) species, minimise greenhouse emissions, and prevent fire. The RSPO P&C has also specified the requirements
for grower members to practice responsible new plantings that do not negatively impact forests, HCV and HCS areas, fragile andmarginal soils, and local people’s lands.
The RSPO P&C is considered to be the strictest criteria regarding deforestation for any standards on soft commodities, as evidenced
by a 2019 benchmarking report by IUCN Netherlands entitled “Setting the Biodiversity Bar for Palm Oil Certification”. By incorporating
the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA), the RSPO standards require the identification, maintenance, and enhancement of HCV-HCS
forests.
Some of the tools, procedures, and guidance materials that RSPO has produced in alignment with the requirements in the RSPOP&C include:

Remediation andCompensation
Procedure (RaCP)(refer to page 46-47)

Hotspot Monitoring(refer to page 50)

New Planting
Procedure (NPP)(refer to page 44)

Peat Inventory
Template andPeat Audit Guidance

PalmGHG Calculator
and New Development
GHG Calculator(refer to page 48)

Peat Drainability
Assessment(refer to page 48)[Note: For more information and updates on the above, please refer to its respective pages]

Along with the above, we have also
continued to strengthen our assurance
system to ensure that our standards forsustainable production and procurementof palm oil are upheld. For more
information on RSPO’s efforts with regard
to our assurance system throughout theyears, please refer to the chapter on
Delivering Assurance and Credibility on
page 16-23.
RSPO’s standards work to protect forests,
ensuring the habitats of wildlife are notharmed in oil palm producing regions. Yet,
we recognise that alone we cannot solve
the challenges of the palm oil sector anddeforestation to drive changes where it isneeded. To amplify the progress, the RSPO
together with business and governments
must proactively work to respond to
emerging challenges, as the landscapecontinually evolves. At RSPO, we havecollaborated with our members on two key
initiatives, namely the Jurisdictional
Approach (refer to page 26-30) and Shared
Responsibility (refer to page 24-25), in
hopes of bringing our efforts on
deforestation to a higher level. We believethat collaboration and a shared effort
across agricultural commodity industries
and supply chains with governments andNGOs is fundamental to halting
deforestation and protecting forests,
wildlife habitats, and areas of biodiversity.

RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 43

Key highlights from2010 to 2019
2019
2018
• Adopted the 2018 RSPO P&C with strict criteria
on deforestation (prohibiting deforestation ordamage to any HCV-HCS forests and noplanting on peat)• Established the No Deforestation Joint SteeringGroup (NDJSG) involving HCSA members

2016• NPP 2015 came into eﬀect• Launched RSPO NEXT with requirements for no
deforestation, no ﬁre, no planting on peat,
reduction of GHG emissions• Developed the PalmGHG V3.0

2014
• Succession of Biodiversity Technical Committee(BTC) 2009 by the Biodiversity and High
Conservation Working Group (BHCVWG)• Developed the PalmGHG V2.0
• RSPO BoG accepted the CTF’s recommendation
for staged implementation of the RaCP
• Launched HCV Assessor Licensing Scheme for
NPP to replace RSPO-approved assessor
system2012• GHG WG2 developed the PalmGHG Calculator
V1.0

2010

• Kickstarted the revision of RSPO’s key
documents, e.g. NPP, RaCP, etc., to align withthe 2018 RSPO P&C• Introduced Peat Drainability Procedure in linewith the requirements of the 2018 RSPO P&C

2017• Launched GeoRSPO (interactive mapping
platform that features concessions maps
submitted by RSPO grower members)• Established Geographic Information System(GIS) Unit in the RSPO Secretariat to further
enhance hotspot monitoring

2015• RSPO BoG endorsed the revision of the draft
procedure and the RSPO RaCP
• Revised NPP (2015) introduced therequirements of GHG Assessment, Land Use
Change Assessment (LUCA), and for the HCV
assessments to be conducted by licensed HCV
assessors and reviewed by the HCV-ALS
scheme2013• Launched Eyes on Haze (for hotspot detection)• Succession of GHG WG2 by the Emission
Reduction Working Group (ERWG)

2011• Established the Compensation Task Force (CTF)
to develop Compensation Guidance• Established the Greenhouse Gas Working
Group 2 (GHG WG2)
• Implemented the New Planting Procedure(NPP) for all new oil palm plantings, andintroduced the RSPO-approved assessor
system for HCV assessment

Impact Report 2019

44 | OUR IMPACT

SUMMARY OF IMPACT2018
RSPO P&C

RSPO ToC
Strategies

Innovation instandards
andbenchmarks

Principle
7

Crediblecertification,verification
andgrievance

DesiredOutputsandOutcomes

Key
Initiatives
2019

Outputs

No Deforestation
New Planting
Procedure (NPP)No Planting on
Peat
Remediation andCompensation
Procedure (RaCP)GHG Emissions
AvoidedHotspot
Monitoring

Implemented
BMPs
Increasedknowledge
and capacity

Outcomes
Ecosystem
betterprotected

Impact on
our Planet

Safeguarding theplanet against
externalities arisingfrom palm oil
cultivation
Contributing to the
UN SDGs:

Reducedpollution andGHGemissions
Resourceusedminimised
Biodiversity
protected

HCV AREAS AND HCS FORESTS
Criteria 7.12 of the 2018 RSPO P&C outlines the prohibition of
deforestation or damage of any area(s) required to protect orenhance HCV areas or HCS forests, including secondary and peat
forests, for oil palm plantations. This upholds RSPO’s commitment
towards environmental protection and minimising the negative
impact of palm oil production. Within the managed area, HCV
and HCS forests are identified and protected or enhanced.

As of 31 December 2019, our HCV areas in certified units are
as follows:
Rest of the World
3%
Latin America
30%

Indonesia
40%
HCV Areas
Identified andManaged by RSPO
Certified
Members

230,195 haof HCV set-aside area identified andmanaged by RSPO members within
their certified concessions(2018: 221,019 ha)

Africa19%

Malaysia
8%

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 45

NEW PLANTING PROCEDURE
NPP Milestones
Africa22%

NPP Progress in 2019

1,568,433 ha

302,434 ha

Total Area
Subjected to
NPP

HCV Area
under NPP

(2018: 296,430 ha)

Rest ofthe World
4%
Latin America
1%
Malaysia
1%

Indonesia
72%
Areas Subjected
to NPP (ha)(Total: 1,568,433 ha
as at 31 December
2019)(2018: 1,550,219 ha)

Note: Data is cumulative from 2010 to 2019.

The RSPO New Planting Procedure (NPP) comprises a set ofassessments and verification activities to be conducted bygrowers and Certification Bodies (CBs) prior to a new oil palm
development, to provide guidance on responsible planting. The
intention is to ensure that new oil palm development complies
with the new planting criteria in the standards and does notnegatively impact primary forest, HCV areas, HCS forests, fragile
and marginal soils, or local people’s land.
Following the adoption of the 2018 RSPO P&C, the RSPOSecretariat is currently revising the NPP document to align therequirements with the new standards. This includes therequirement that for any NPP submission that takes place after
15 November 2018, there will be no new planting on peat andno clearance of any HCV-HCS areas.

Indonesia
56%
Africa40%

Rest of the World
1%

HCV Area in
NPP by Region (ha)Total: 302,434 ha
as at 31 December
2019

Latin America3%

In 2019, six (6) NPP was completed and approved, covering a total NPP and HCV areas of 18,214 ha and 6,004 ha, respectively. As
of December 2019, the total area subjected to NPP was 1,568,433 ha across 14 countries. As compared to the previous reporting
period, there has been a 2% increase in the HCV area under NPP.

Bringing the NPP Revision to Another Level
The 2018 RSPO P&C is now fully effective and all audits after 15
November 2019 shall be carried out against this standard or theendorsed National Interpretation that is aligned with the 2018
P&C. The RSPO Secretariat has evaluated the needs to update the
NPP to align with the current standard to ensure consistency in its
application. Preliminary inputs were gathered since the beginningof 2019 through various platforms such as CB workshops, CBGrowers Alignment workshops, various RSPO working groups,
RSPO roadshows and RSPO Technical Team workshops.
In this reporting period, the NPP revision had gone through a60-day public consultation workshop from 13 December 2019
to 12 February 2020. The consultation period was carried out
concurrently with the RSPO Certification Systems for P&C. During
this public consultation period, several face-to-face consultation
workshops were organised in Malaysia, Indonesia and Latin
America. Additionally, webinars were also arranged for those
who are not able to attend the face-to-face consultation.

The revised documents aim to:
Improve NPP submission by ensuring credible verified reporting
Improve the accuracy of information with regard to areas thatare planned to be developed
Implement a proper mechanism on the sanction system andpost NPP monitoring.
The NPP document also has an additional GHG Assessment
Procedure for New Development guidance in meeting the NPP
requirement.

More information on the RSPO NPP Draft for public consultation
is available on our webpage.

Impact Report 201946 | OUR IMPACT
Story from the field
Landscape HCV Conservation in Olam Palm Plantationin Gabon, Central Africa
Olam Palm Gabon (OPG), a joint venture between Olamand the Republic of Gabon, has a strong commitment toestablishing sustainable palm oil production through theirefforts in forest and species conservation as well as
emission reduction at significant scale in Gabon.
To achieve this, OPG has focused on identifying andconserving HCV forest and HCS area. This has been
demonstrated through the set aside of over 50% (72,000ha) of their total concession area (144,000 ha) in Gabon
as HCV area. In the region where OPG operates, there
is also a significant population of wildlife, including great
apes and forest elephants. For the protection of these
species, OPG has applied the use of advanced andinnovative instruments for monitoring and prevention ofhuman-wildlife conflict, while also actively engaging andinvolving local communities in a meaningful manner at
every stage of the conservation programmes.

Photo Credit: Olam
Hippopotamus, presumably extinct in the region, last seen in 1949, spotted in Olam’s
HCV area

Photo Credit: OlamSouthern Reedbuck, last reported in 1961, found in 2016 in Olam’s HCV savannahand protected areas

Since our operations began, we have committed to protecting high conservation lands alongside the sustainable development
and operation of our palm plantations. We are honoured that our efforts have been recognised by the RSPO in its 2019
Excellence Awards. Makouke marks another step towards achieving RSPO certification for all our plantations in Gabon andcements our ambition to be the leading certified producer of palm oil in Africa.
DARSHAN RAIYANI, President and Head of Gabon Plantations

REMEDIATION AND COMPENSATION PROCEDURE
The Remediation and Compensation Procedure (RaCP) was established to address land clearance and plantation development
undertaken since November 2005 without prior HCV assessment. The procedure requires growers to disclose any new landdevelopment that took place without conducting HCV assessment, to calculate environmental liabilities through a Land Use Change
Analysis (LUCA), and to carry out onsite or offsite remediation for the affected sites or remediation with the affected parties.
Since the official endorsement of the RSPO RaCP (2015), we have processed more than 1,400 disclosures from both existing growers
and independent smallholder groups, and those applying for new membership applications and/or group consolidations (including
new acquisitions). Out of these disclosures, over 500 operations have submitted their LUCA for land clearing since 2005 without
prior HCV assessments.
As of 31 December 2019, a total of 874,216.85 ha of non-compliant land clearance (NCLC) have been disclosed by 546 management
units. The increase in the number of management units with disclosed liabilities can be attributed to several reasons, i.e. newmembership applications, consolidation of management units under Group Membership rules that were endorsed with immediate
effect in July 2017, and new acquisitions.
The table below shows the disaggregated information on non-compliant land clearance or land clearance prior HCV assessment
since November 2005 (NCLC) and final conservation liability (FLC) data of all disclosed liabilities by region, compiled from all LUCA
reports (i.e. reports reviewed as satisfactory and those that are in the various stages of review by external GIS specialists). To date,
an increase of 16% LUCA reports have fulfilled the requirements for satisfactory analysis of land cover change and liability assessment(since the last reporting period of 30 June 2018).
RegionNCLC (ha)FCL (ha)Africa40,864.46

6,548.50

Latin America

156,161.20

15,889.34

9,863.59

1,024.83

OceaniaSouth East Asia

667,327.60

58,188.76

Grand Total

874,216.85

81,651.43

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 47

Land Cover Change from 2005 inareas developed without prior HCV
assessment (by vegetation coefficient)(‘000)
250

Of the 179 operations that have submitted the plans, 1071 havebeen reviewed by the Compensation Panel and independent
evaluators and approved as satisfactory (cumulative since 2017).
The table below is a summary of the compensation projects
proposed by the various management units for the conservation
projects.

200
150
100
50
0
2005200720072009

20102014

After 9May 2014

Structurally complex forest(VC 1)

Structurally simplified/degraded forest (VC 0.7)

Agroforestry (VC 0.4)

Highly modified/degraded
forest (VC 0)•

The bar graph summarises the land cover change
during the development of land areas from November
2005 without prior HCV assessment•

The bulk of non-compliant clearance involved degradedor highly degraded vegetation (e.g. open grasslandand scrub) and existing agroforestry plantations•

Less than 5% of land cleared without HCV assessments
involved the loss of high-quality forest (VC 1)

Approved Conservation Projects%

Offsite avoided deforestation and/or avoided
degradation of high-quality habitats

43.4

Offsite restoration of degraded forest on
land with clear ownership and legal status tohigh quality habitats

27.3

Species-based conservation measures

15.2

Community and livelihood development

13.1

Onsite forest/high-quality habitat reestablishment

1.0

Growers who are implementing remediation and compensationplans are required to provide an annual progress report following
a standard reporting template to the RSPO Secretariat. In 2019,
the RaCP Annex 9 – Monitoring Report Template (weblink) has
been formally approved by the Biodiversity and High Conservation
Working Group (BHCVWG).
The RSPO RaCP is one of the few (if any) remediation andcompensation procedures available for commodity crops atpresent. Some of the elements may be revised as moreexperience accumulates.

Note:
The data used for the stacked bar graph are of existing RSPO members, with
“Passed” LUCA status. Data in previous reports are based on disclosures that havenot been reviewed, under reviewed and completed review.

In addition to disclosure of NCLCs and submission of LUCAs,
growers have either chosen to submit revised standard operatingprocedures (SOPs) or opted for the submission of declarationof SOP verification by an accredited certification body during thedisclosure of liability to demonstrate commitment to prevent
further non-compliant land clearing.

1

Submissions consist of environmental remediation plans where FCL = 0 but oilpalm has been planted on riparian buffer zones, steep slopes, fragile soils,
peat areas; and the remediation and compensation plans where FCL has been
established and companies have to contribute toward biodiversity conservation
projects.

Photo Credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

Impact Report 2019

48 | OUR IMPACTPROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OFPEATLANDGREENHOUSE GAS (GHG)

Since the 1980s, large areas of tropical peatlands have been
converted for oil palm planting. However, the negative impact
of poor management of peatland over the years has since
prompted RSPO grower members to adopt policies of no newplanting on peat. In 2018, RSPO strictly enforced this requirementin our revised 2018 P&C and made further efforts to ensure
proper care and application of best management practices inexisting plantations on peat to minimise GHG emissions andpotential impacts to the environment.

RSPO recognises its role and importance in addressing theGreenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions issue that has been gaining
attention. For the purpose of quantifying emissions andidentifying ‘hotspots’ in order to implement mitigation measures,
there is a need to come up with a tool. Between 2009 to 2011,
two (2) working groups, the GHG WG1 & GHG WG2, were
established to develop a monitoring tool and ways to reduce
GHG emissions. The second GHG WG developed the PalmGHG,
which is a GHG calculator used to quantify the sources and sinkof GHG from plantation to mill. The intent behind the developmentof the calculator was to provide a tool specifically tailored forpalm oil cultivation and milling.

Peat Inventory Template and Peat Audit
Guidance
In 2019, the Peatland Working Group 2 (PLWG2) developed the
RSPO Peat Inventory Template for RSPO members to document
areas of peat, planted or otherwise, within their managed areaand submit to the RSPO secretariat for monitoring.
To further guide RSPO growers, the PLWG2 has also developedan ‘associated audit guidance’, highlighting the minimum
requirements to ensure compliance with the peat requirements
found within the 2018 P&C.
For more information on the Peat Inventory Template and

PalmGHG Calculator Update

RSPO intends to ensure that certified growers plan to reduce
pollution and emissions, including GHG, are developed,
implemented and monitored by using the PalmGHG. The purposeof the PalmGHG is to allow GHG emissions to be identified, andplans to reduce them can be implemented.
Since its introduction, the PalmGHG has been updated andrevised based on gaps identified and feedback received from its
users. Some of the key updates of the PalmGHG calculator canbe found in the figure below.

Peat Audit Guidance, please refer to our webpage.

PalmGHG V1.0

Peat Drainability Assessment
In the same year, RSPO introduced the RSPO Peat Drainability
Assessment (DA) Procedure, which was developed by the PLWG2
to support oil palm growers to assess future subsidence andflood risks of peatlands, as well as to adjust their management
processes to reduce subsidence rates and prolong workable
lifetime of their existing plantations on peat. This procedure isconducted five (5) years prior to replanting oil palm planted onpeat, thus providing ample time for growers to improve peatmanagement and/or phase out oil palm within the assessed area.
For more information on the DA procedure, please refer toour webpage.

Excel template-based calculator

PalmGHG V2.0
Software-based desktop application

PalmGHG V3.0
Software-based desktop application with over 10
improvements from the previous version

PalmGHG V4.0
Web (online) and desktop (offline) platform for data
entry and emission calculation
Integration with RSPO database (autosync)
Improved online report verification and submission
RSPO acknowledges that the PalmGHG tool is a software that
requires close maintenance as much as any other software out
there. RSPO commits to continuously monitor and work towards
improving this tool to ensure a smooth user experience.
Feedback is welcomed and can be emailed to ghg@rspo.org.

Photo Credit: RSPO & Katingan Mentaya Project

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 49

Since the last reporting period as per Impact Update 2019, the new NPPs approved did not consist of HCV and conservation set
aside areas contributing to carbon emission savings. Hence, the data on carbon savings remained the same as per the previous
report. For more information on GHG savings from NPP, please refer to page 32 of the RSPO Impact Update 2019.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study shows RSPO CSPO poses lower environmental impact
In 2019, Jannick Schmidt and Michele De Rosa, the 2.-0 LCA consultants from Denmark, conducted and published acomprehensive LCA study to compare the environmental impact of RSPO certified versus non-certified palm oil between
2017 and 2019. They found that RSPO certified sustainable palm oil has a 35% lower global warming impact and 20%
lower biodiversity impact.
The key reasons for the 35% lower global warming impact (GHG emissions per kg of RSPO certified palm oil) were reported
to be due to:
A lower share of peat soils under certified palm oil leading to lower CO2 emissions
A higher share of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) from certified oil treated with biogas capture leading to lower CH4 emissions
Higher yields and better nutrient utilisation for certified FFB leading to lower N2O emissions
Higher yields (and part of landbank set-aside for nature conservation) for certified FFB leading to lower CO2 emissions.
*Note:The LCA is a so-called cradle-to-gate study, which means it includes the activities related to the delivery of refined palm oil at the refinery gate. The study was
carried out in accordance with ISO 14040/44 on life cycle assessment with a third-party critical panel review and has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

For more information on this study, please visit the webpage. The next phase of the crowdfunded project to expand the scope of
this study will be starting soon.

The results of this study could not be more timely as GHG emissions and biodiversity are the impact areas gaining most of
the attention in the public debate on palm oil production and its environmental impacts, worldwide, particularly Europe. We
hope that these results will help inform a wide group of stakeholders that we should be pushing for sustainability over aboycott of palm oil. Palm oil is unique compared to all its alternatives in the way that it is associated with significant improvement
options. In fact the improvement potentials (reduce peat, reduce peat drainage depth, use biogas capture in POME treatment,
and maximise nature conservation) enable palm oil to become the best performing vegetable oil with regard to GHG emissions.
JANNICK SCHMIDT, LCA Consultant

Photo credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

Impact Report 201950 | OUR IMPACTHOTSPOT MONITORINGThe RSPO concession map data is directly obtained from members with grower
operations upon membership application and via the Annual Communicationof Progress (ACOP) submissions. The certification status of concessions has
been derived from audit reports of mills and supply bases.
Since 2015, RSPO has been actively monitoring fire hotspots in our members’
concessions. The GIS Unit has enabled RSPO to develop a mechanism toretrieve and analyse fire hotspot data, and monitor potential fire occurrences
within the concessions, both certified and uncertified. Since January 2018, we
have made this satellite information along with the location of other member
concession areas publicly available on our webpage.
If fires are detected within a concession area, members are requested tomake a submission of the necessary documentation, including the cause offire, approximate location of the fire, best practices and also photographic
evidence.
Our interactive map application GeoRSPO is publicly available and displays
relevant data relating to members’ concessions and land cover, including any
active hotspots, to demonstrate our commitment to transparency andaccountability. We remain committed to our strengthened P&C relating to fire
prevention and a complete ban on the use of fire within RSPO certified units.
We applaud our members for committing to these strict standards andencourage them to continue monitoring their concessions.

463,952
Total hotspots in Indonesia
and Malaysia(2018: 285,562)

1,403
Total hotspots within RSPO
members’ concessions inIndonesia and Malaysia(2018: 1,034)

Hotspots are not necessarily actual fire incidences.

During the peak of the 2019 South East Asia haze season, the IMU detected 278 hotspots in RSPO members’ concessions at theheight of the fire season (10 to 16 September 2019) from a total of 73,508 hotspots for the week, which means hotspots in RSPO
members’ concessions represented just 0.4%. The IMU actively followed up with each member where a hotspot was detected, toverify whether there was an occurrence of fire (and if so, what efforts are being made to extinguish the fire). The IMU also monitored
the persistence of hotspot occurrence within our members’ concessions. Those concessions where persistent hotspots were detected
continuously for more than 10 days will be investigated. The members who were investigated need to provide documentation suchas police reports to explain the hotspots and occurrence of fire.

Hotspots detected in non-RSPO members’ concessions

Hotspots detected in RSPO members’ concessions

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 51

IMPACT ON PROSPERITYRSPO continuously engages in regionally focused market outreach efforts with the objective to ensure all major consumption markets
source greater volumes of CSPO. We work to ensure that effective planning and management systems are in place to address
economic viability, environmental and social compliance and risks. These include procedures and systems for ensuring our conformity
to the RSPO P&C and SCCS, to support exponential growth in the uptake of sustainable palm oil whilst optimising productivity,
efficiency and maintaining ethical conduct in the regions where we operate in.
We have come a long way since our inaugural meeting in Malaysia in 2003, with a respectable 200 participants from 16 countries.
As of 31 December 2019, we now have over 4,500 members from almost half of the countries on the planet. In the past decade,we have not only seen a significant growth in our membership, but we have also expanded our operations and outreach globally
where we now have representatives and offices in nine (9) countries covering all the major regions where we have a presence. For
more information on our regional outreach, please refer to page 53 to 58. Along with the growth in our membership and outreach,
we have also recorded growth in our sales of CSPO with a 13% increase from 2018 and an impressive 452% increase from thelast decade (2010: 1,281,134 mt vs 2019: 7,068,932 mt).
At RSPO, the increase of market commitment to and uptake of CSPO is a key priority for us. The uptake of CSPO has been steadily
increasing over the years, but it continues to require accelerated commitment. In 2019, we have worked together with our memberson the initiative known as Shared Responsibility (SR) (refer to page 25) that will hopefully further increase the uptake of CSPO
across our membership in the years to come. Through SR, our members will be held mutually accountable to work together todrive the uptake of CSPO.

SUMMARY OF IMPACT2018
RSPO P&C

RSPO ToC
Strategies

Innovation instandards
andbenchmarks
Demandgeneration,commitments
and uptake

Principles
1, 2 and 3

Engaging the
supporting
sectorDesiredOutputsandOutcomes

Outputs
Increased
commitments,
markets anduptakeIncreased
membership

Key
Initiatives
2019

Market Uptake
and Outreach

Impact on
Prosperity

Promotion ofprosperity insustainable palm oil
Contributing to the
UN SDGs:

Platform anddialogues
Increasedpromotionandawareness

Outcomes
Incentives
Sustainablevs.
unsustainabledistinguished
Increased
investment

Impact Report 201952 | OUR IMPACT

ANNUAL GROWTH IN CSPO SALES
Annual Sales of CSPO (‘000 MT)

A sustainable, competitive and resilient palm oil market can only
be achieved through collaborative approaches of RSPO members
and partners. The RSPO SCCS encompasses the requirementsof RSPO certified oil palm products in the supply chain, including
flows of RSPO certified oil palm products and associated claims.
There are four supply chain models which oil palm products canbe traded on, and have been approved by RSPO: Identity
Preserved (IP), Segregated (SG), Mass Balance (MB) and RSPOBook and Claim (RSPO Credits).

1,765.11
1,914.94

4,511.05

4,331.38

2017

2018

1,958.18

3,426.79

Demand and uptake of CSPO continued to grow between 2018and 2019, with overall sales increasing by 13% to 7,068,932 mt.
An increase was contributed by the sales of CSPO through IP,
SG and MB from 4,331,377 mt to 5,303,819 mt; however, there
was a decrease in the sales of CSPO through Book and Claimfrom 1,914,943 mt to 1,765,113 mt for the reporting period.

1,644.93

3,674.55

2,833.43

2015

2016

CSPO Sales through IP, SG, MB

5,303.82

2019

CSPO Sales through Book and ClaimRSPO TRADEMARKThe RSPO Trademark is a globally recognised
ecolabel that signals the use of RSPO certified
sustainable palm oil. Since the launch of RSPO
Trademark in 2011, it has grown significantly from12 countries to 60 countries, and now appears on
more than 400 consumer products. The RSPO
Trademark is now more sought after by the Supply
Chain Associates and Ordinary Consumer Goods
Manufacturers, indicating that these smaller niche
end-producers and those selling to conscious
consumers considered that there is a pressing needin the market to demonstrate that they produce
products and support organisations that have taken
steps to eliminate environmental degradation andhuman rights issues.

RSPO Trademark Licence by Country (as at 31 December 2019)

308
152
y
an

m

r
Ge

Un

it

ed

76

71

63

59

56

53

50

44

26

s
te

om

e
nc

um

s
nd

y
al

sia

n
ai

ia
tr

a

St

d

te

i
Un

gd

n
Ki

a

Fr

i

lg

Be

t

Ne

It

la

r
he

ay

M

al

Sp

s

Au

s

er

th

O

2019

Note: Licence data reflects data from supply chain certified members only.

As at 31 December 2019, the RSPO Trademark licence isheld by 958 supply chain certified members across 60
countries. This demonstrated a 20% increase in licenceholders since the last reporting period. In Europe andthe United States in particular, mainstream consumers
are beginning to be more aware of where ingredientsare sourced and what impact these ingredients may haveon the environment, human rights, labour rights, andcommunity rights. The use of RSPO Trademark in Latin
America has also gained traction as certification numbers
have risen exponentially for both producers and supply
chain members - especially with refineries and consumer
goods manufacturers in the region. It is evident that themarket has started to demand RSPO certified sustainablepalm oil products.

958
Supply chain certified members hold
RSPO Trademark licence(2018: 797)

The recent growth in the trademark has been impressive,
and it shows that companies are starting to get to a place
where they are willing to talk to the consumer about palm
oil and the fact that it is in their products. I give credit
to our membership for endorsing the 2018 P&C and fortheir further efforts on transparency. We must shiftconsumer focus from one of boycotting palm oil to one
that actively supports sustainable palm oil. The trademark
is an easy way to communicate this message.
DAN STRECHAY, Director of Outreach and Engagement

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 53

MARKET OUTREACH AND UPTAKE
The updates for each region are presented as follows:

North America
New York, United States of America
Established in 2016

PROGRESS
Total membership by end of 2019:
540 members (United States), 82 members (Canada)
13% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019

Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019
Launched the North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network (NASPON) toolkit
At the start of the decade, the region had 36 members in 2010.
By the end of this reporting period, RSPO membership in the
U.S. has grown to 540 members and Canada has 82 members.
Many RSPO members in the U.S. and Canada have set
ambitious targets to source 100% CSPO and there is consistent
momentum towards achieving these targets. As a result, over
800 facilities in North America have become supply chain
certified as of December 2019, leading to increased availabilityof CSPO in the region.
Prior to the establishment of the RSPO North American
Secretariat in 2016, a majority of North American RSPO
members participated in the Book and Claim supply chain inorder to support the growth of sustainable palm oil. As themarket for sustainable palm oil continues to grow, CSPO uptake
has been trending upward as supply chain actors havetransitioned from Book and Claim to physical sourcing to meettheir 100% CSPO targets.
In 2019, the North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network(NASPON) members launched an initiative to share resourcesand experiences from their own experiences through a NASPON
Toolkit. The toolkit will be instrumental in providing templates
to assist surveying suppliers, an in-depth resource to provide
support in the identification of ingredients that often containpalm oil/palm kernel oil or derivatives and fractions of palm oil/palm kernel oil, and information regarding achieving a
segregated supply chain in North America. The toolkit istargeted for public availability in July 2020. By including theexpertise and learnings from NASPON members in thedevelopment of the toolkit, RSPO members that use the toolkit
will be able to overcome challenges that NASPON members
faced in their own journeys. The NASPON Toolkit will be
adaptable to other regions and assist RSPO members globallyin achieving their CSPO goals.
Both consumer and RSPO members’ awareness of sustainablepalm oil continue to grow in the North American market.
Although North America is geographically far removed from oilpalm growing regions and is primarily composed of downstream
supply chain actors, there is a growing awareness that North
American actors can play an impactful role in contributing to
improving human rights conditions, halting deforestation, andsupporting smallholders in the oil palm sector. To convene
North American members to discuss roles actors in this region
can play, the RSPO hosted the first North America Sustainable
Palm Oil Dialogue. The virtual conference in June 2020 provided
a first of its kind platform for influential stakeholders tocontinue discussing the current market, challenges, andopportunities for sustainable palm oil in North America.

Impact Report 201954 | OUR IMPACT

Bogota, Colombia
Established in 2015

Latin America
PROGRESS
Total membership by end of 2019:
147 members
18% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019

Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019
Launched the Community Outreach Programme in Colombia
Latin America has been a region of exponential growth in termsof certification and moving towards CSPO and CSPK sales anduptake. It is also home to approximately one third (34.2%) of theidentified and managed HCV areas by RSPO members with a rangeof diverse conservation projects led by the certified companies
themselves. The region started with 21 members in 2010, and by
the end of 2019, the region had 147 members, demonstrating an
average increase of 57% over the decade.
In 2015, the first staff for RSPO Latin America was hired, marking
a milestone in the creation of the RSPO Latin American office.
In the same year, the NIs of Honduras and Guatemala wereendorsed by RSPO. In collaboration with associations of local
producers, six (6) regional conferences had been organised in a
number of countries in Latin America over the decade. These
conferences play a key role in serving as an avenue to present
the progress and future forecasts of the sector, enabling
experiences among experts and various actors to be shared.
Along with the impressive rate of increase in membership in theregion, the increase of CSPO uptake has also been recorded as
the fastest growing on a global scale, placing Latin America as
a leader in certification. The growth of CSPO in the region from2009 to the close of 2019 went from 0 mt to 1,057,871 mt,
reflecting an average of 105% annual growth in certification.
Furthermore, both Colombia and Mexico completed their NI
revisions with the new 2018 RSPO P&C, making them leading
countries in the Latin American region. In this reporting period,a community outreach programme was also launched with theobjective to enhance the position of local communities,
smallholders and workers through capacity building for IMOs inassessing and adopting the RSPO system. (Refer to page 38 of
this report for more details on the Community Outreach
Programme in Colombia).
Some of the challenges faced by Latin America were related toincreasing market awareness in a region that has primarily been
considered grower-centred. Currently, Latin America is seen asa region of palm oil producers. However, 80% of the palm oil
produced is consumed in local markets. Therefore, RSPO needs
to develop a mixed strategy to strengthen sustainable palm oil
production while boosting domestic demand for sustainable palm
oil products.
Another crucial challenge involved the incorporation ofsmallholders into the RSPO system. Smallholders in Latin America
account for nearly 30% of the oil palm planted area, so it isimportant to promote collaboration of different actors (producers,
civil society and national governments) in order to achieve greater
participation of smaller-scale producers in the system. Therefore,
as we progress into the next decade, promoting further
participatory dialogue among various stakeholders at local andregional levels should be emphasised in order to increase andenhance RSPO impacts in the region.

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 55

London, United Kingdom
Established in 2013

Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Established in 2019

EuropePROGRESS
Total membership by end of 2019:
2,646 members
8% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019

Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019
Held the First Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue in Utrecht, Netherlands
Spoke at events in UK (Naturals in Cosmetic Science, UK Ingredients Show, Sustainable Landscape Conference by the Innovation
Forum), Italy (Seeds & Chips, and Sustainable Palm Oil, SANA), Spain (Cosmetic Business Regulatory Summit, Future of Surfactants,
The relevance of sustainability in palm oil production – progress, achievements and challenges), and Poland (Launch of the
National Initiative)
Led the revision of the RSPO Supply Chain Certification Standard and Systems documents and held public consultations.
In the past decade, RSPO has seen a progressive move towards
the use of sustainable palm oil in Europe. To date, approximately
83% of palm oil entering the European market is RSPO certified
sustainable palm oil, for food use and the use in home andpersonal care products. By engaging with key stakeholders acrossEurope, RSPO has grown its membership in Europe from 246 in2010 to 2,646 by the end of 2019, representing over half of thetotal RSPO membership.
Moreover, the RSPO has welcomed the launch of the Amsterdam
Declaration in 2015 by several governments (Denmark, France,
Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom in 2015, and Italy in2017). This engagement at a European level was also supportedby the launch of several National Initiatives – the Netherlands
in 2010; the UK and Belgium in 2012; France and Germany in2013, followed by Sweden in 2014; Italy in 2015 and more
recently in Spain (2017) and Poland (2019). RSPO’s European
team works collaboratively with all National Initiatives to host or
speak at events, conferences, and to deliver webinars and aligned
strategic approaches for these markets.
By delivering a range of communication pieces, media
engagements and social media campaigns, along with ourmembers, we have worked to educate and shift public sentimenton palm oil from negative to neutral or positive in key markets.
This is an ongoing process that we seek to amplify in the next
decade.

In this reporting period, the European team has been moreproactive in the strategic communications and outreach activities
with existing and potential members. Our participation at events
has been selective and focused on reaching new audiences,
untapped markets and influential players. The preparation andsuccessful launch of the Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue, acollaborative event, has helped RSPO to understand and focus
on the topics that are most relevant for the stakeholders here,
allowing the entire organisation to better serve its membershipbase. The coordinated work with the Sustainable Palm Oil
Dialogue partners has increased the visibility of RSPO in Europe
and has served as a base for future engagement with key actors
in Europe.
While Europe is a mature market, there is still a significant gap
between industry commitment and the delivery of sustainability
targets at multiple levels. A multifaceted approach is required
to stimulate demand from consumers, instigate regulatory
support and continue stakeholder engagement. For example,
consumer associations could be a valuable partner in our workto overcome anti-palm campaigns in Europe. Misinformation andnegative narratives around palm oil have impacted the possibility
to effectively communicate the benefits of sustainable palm oil
to some audiences. The European team is focused on engaging
with key players at the global and national levels to close thisgap.

Impact Report 201956 | OUR IMPACT

AfricaPROGRESS
Total membership by end of 2019:
80 members
33% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019

Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019
Launched the RSPO Community Outreach Programme in Liberia
3rd Africa Sustainable Palm Oil Conference
RSPO Africa Roadshow
Over the decade, the total number of members in Africa grew by
26% to reach 80 members, as compared to three (3) members in
2010. The region is an emerging market for palm oil where it
accounts for at least 70% of edible oil demand. Africa is a net
importer of palm oil, and the bulk of CPO produced in the region
is consumed domestically.
Since Africa is a net importer region with a relatively low level ofawareness, it is crucial to support growers in becoming RSPO
certified whilst ensuring high-quality assessments and audits. At
the same time, given the low demand for certified palm oil in theregion, producers need to be supported to reach international
markets, and regional uptake of CSPO and CSPK/Certified
Sustainable Palm Kernel Oil (CSPKO) needs to be stimulated.

Appreciable gains have been made between RSPO’s establishedphysical presence in the region in July 2017 and the end of thereporting year. These include, among others, 81% increase in CSPO
volumes between June 2017 and March 2020; 387% increment in
the number of RSPO Credits sold from Africa in 2019 compared
to 2017; and a 268% increment in the number of RSPO Creditsbought by the Africa supply chain in 2019 compared to 2017.
Despite these gains, a lot more remains to be done in order tonudge the African markets towards making sustainable palm oil
the norm. In particular, the downstream supply chain actors need
to be continually engaged and encouraged to take up physicalcertified volumes and credits, certified consumer goods
manufacturers have to be engaged on placing the trademarks on
products, and consumers sensitised to better understand the needto choose certified sustainable products. In essence, the demand
and uptake of certified volumes and credits must be generated or
stimulated to match the increasing production of CSPO.

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 57

India
PROGRESS
Total membership by end of 2019:60 members
28% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019
Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019
Organised the first Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue (India-SPOD)
in New Delhi
RSPO spoke at major industry and consumers events in India
and the UAE, such as Globoil 2019, India and Sustainability
Standards 2019, AIESEC International Congress 2019, andYoung India Challenge 2019
Formed a “National Interpretation” Working Group for the 2018
P&C for India and completed the process within a year
Launched the “Youth for Sustainability” initiative in India andSoutheast Asia
Co-organised the first edition of the “Asian Youth for
Sustainable Palm Oil Summit’ in Bangkok
Launched the first CSPO story series in collaboration with
“Youth Ki Awaaz”, India’s largest user-generated media
platform, and ‘India Climate Dialogue’.

RSPO has observed significant growth in the use of sustainablepalm oil in India over the past decade. During this period, India
became the world’s largest importer and second-largest
consumer of palm oil. The current annual consumption isapproximately 9 million mt. To date, 2.5% of palm oil entering
the Indian region is certified sustainable palm oil. By engaging
with key stakeholders across the region, RSPO has grown its
membership from a couple of members in 2010 to 60 members
in December 2019.
In 2015, RSPO elected an India Representative to drive the market
transformation efforts in the region. As a result, a strong
foundation has been laid for exponential growth in the next
decade. In this reporting period, India’s CSPO uptake increased
by 400% from 60,000 mt in January 2019 to 240,000 mt inDecember 2019.
In 2020 and beyond, RSPO will continue to work closely with thegrowing number of members, ambassadors, partners and all
relevant stakeholders to create a more favourable environment toincrease the demand for sustainable palm oil in the Indian region.

Greater China
PROGRESS
Total membership by end of 2019:
186 members

Beijing, Greater China
Established in 2015

51% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019
Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019
Three new members joined the China Sustainable Palm Oil
Alliance (CSPOA) in 2019
Co-organised the China Sustainable Palm Oil Forum with the
China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native
Produce (CFNA) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in July
2019
Participated in the Asian Youth for Sustainable Palm Oil
Summit 2019 to share the initiatives of China’s youth related
to sustainable palm oil
Participated in the Sustainable Consumption Week with
WWF-China in August 2019.

Throughout the years, RSPO has been strengthening our
engagement in China, starting from 2015 with the establishmentof our outreach office in the region. In the past decade, thenumber of RSPO members in Greater China grew from one to
186 in 2019, with 34 RSPO Trademark licence holders at the endof December 2019.
Moving into 2020, the RSPO China team will launch the China
Youth for Sustainability programme through our collaboration
with local NGOs and we will continue to promote and advocate
sustainable consumption and increase stakeholders’ knowledge
and awareness in the region through campaigns such as ‘Say
Yes to Sustainable Palm Oil’. We will also focus on enhancing
our partnership (e.g. CSPOA) with Chinese government agencies,
industry associations, and Chinese domestic and international
enterprises to continue to jointly promote the purchase and useof sustainable palm oil in China.

Impact Report 201958 | OUR IMPACT

Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Established in 2004

Jakarta, Indonesia
Established in 2006

Malaysia

Indonesia

PROGRESSPROGRESS

Total membership by end of 2019:
145 members

Total membership by end of 2019:
106 members

10% increase
in membership between 2018 and 20194% increase
in membership between 2018 and 2019

Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019

Regional Outreach Highlights in 2019

Participated in and hosted a booth at the 9th International
Planters Conference (IPC 2019) and the Palm and Lauric Oils
Price Outlook Conference & Exhibition (PIPOC 2019) in Kuala
Lumpur.

Reached approximately 100 Youth in Sustainability members
Purchased of RSPO Credits by two members
Regional Representative Office Indonesia initiated the#smartconsumer #recognisethelabel annual event.

Malaysia has seen a continuous growth in membership in thelast decade whereby it started with 92 members in 2010 andhas since grown to 145 members. Throughout the years, ouroutreach activities in the country have largely been focused on
raising awareness and support for the RSPO by driving
engagement and building relationships with key stakeholder
groups, including local government bodies, NGOs, industry bodies
and consumers.

Indonesia has seen a growth in membership from 72 to 106
members in the last decade. In 2018, RSPO initiated a youth
community programme in Indonesia called Youth in Sustainability(YiS), which is based in Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta with 33
members. It aims to increase awareness about responsible
consumption and climate action in Indonesia. In each location,
YiS launched a youth-oriented campaign, geared towards
encouraging food waste reduction, ecolabel recognition, andwaste management. As consumers and future leaders,Indonesia’s youth play a key role in urging their favourite brands
to source only sustainable raw materials, such as certified
sustainable palm oil (CSPO). As of December 2019, the numberof YiS members has increased to around 100 people. With thisinitiative, in the past year, more than 10,000 youth in Indonesia
have been educated about the RSPO, sustainable palm oil andsustainable living practices.

While Malaysia is in the top two palm oil producing and exporting
countries in the world, a large portion of the palm oil it producesis also consumed in local markets. However, market awarenessfor CSPO remains low in the country. Therefore, there is a needfor RSPO to develop strategies to boost the local demand for
CSPO. Moving forward, our team in Malaysia will look to build
out its outreach program to better reach smallholder andmedium size growers, as well as look to work with regional
governments. For example, the work on the Sabah jurisdictional
approach to certification with the provincial government, local
NGOs and others to incorporate the RSPO standards into theprovince’s oil palm sector is a key workstream in the country.
Additionally, the team will work to get domestic manufacturers
and retailers to embrace sustainable palm oil in this important
market and a Youth in Sustainability programme is expected tobe launched later in 2020/early 2021.
Further, to strengthen engagement in this market, former
Director of Technical, Salahudin Yaacob, has been made Directorof Strategic Stakeholder Engagement with a primary focus on
Malaysia and other key countries, and giving the RSPO a senior
member of the executive team to develop and shepherd thestrategic implementation of our outreach and stakeholder
engagement.

In the same year, the Regional Representative Office (RRO)
collaborated with the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable
Development (IBCSD) in the implementation of the Green
Lifestyle Initiative Programme for Responsible Consumption and
Production. It aims to support the implementation of sustainableconsumption and production in Indonesia. Over the decade, wehave learned that the majority of the consumers in Indonesia
lack the knowledge of ecolabel products, RSPO, and sustainablepalm oil. This lack of demand in Indonesia has discouraged ourmembers in adopting the RSPO Trademark.
Moving forward, we will place efforts in strengthening theawareness of sustainability in Indonesia, by developing asustainable palm oil market in Bali. In order to successfully rollout the platform, RSPO plans to engage and connect thepotential market in Bali with the RSPO supply chain members inEast Java by designing a business matching event and creating avalue proposition for the industry. We will also focus on media
partnership to increase awareness, not only to the upstream
industry, but also the downstream industry to encourage theircommitments to shared responsibility.

Impact Report 2019

OUR IMPACT | 59

Market outreach by our member
Raise Your Palm - driving change through Taronga’s Tiger Trek towards a sustainable palm oil future
Taronga Conservation Society went above and beyond their normal organisational or business goals to champion the message ofsustainable palm oil in the market for the RSPO. Tiger Trek at Taronga Zoo was designed as an innovative, creative and immersive
experience for their visitors to inspire them to take positive actions to protect the remaining Sumatran tiger population in the wild,
and to empower them to make consumer choices to support RSPO certified sustainable palm oil.
In a simulated flight onboard Tiger Trek Airlines, guests are transported from Taronga Zoo in Australia to Indonesia, where they
have a close encounter with Sumatran Tigers. Guests travel directly over beautiful forest and landscapes that form the habitat of
the tigers as well as the land cleared for unsustainable palm oil production. This allows them to not only see the amazing forest
and tiger habitat that needs protection, but also the scale of the negative impact of unsustainable palm oil. In transition back to
the urban world, guests then enter the ‘Choice Mart’ – a simulated supermarket where they are empowered to make consumer
choices to help protect the remaining tiger population and support RSPO certified sustainable palm oil. Over 115,000 emails havebeen sent from guests encouraging manufacturers and retailers to use RSPO certified sustainable palm oil, leveraging community
action to support the transition towards a truly responsible palm oil industry in Australia.

Photo Credit: Taronga Conservation Society

At Taronga and in Zoos across the world, we believe that we have theresponsibility to our wildlife to tell their stories. Through Tiger Trek wehave shared the story of the Sumatran Tiger, and with as few as 400
left in the wild it is a critical one. Guests can get up close to theendangered Sumatran Tigers and learn how simple shopping choices
can help to preserve their precious, natural habitat. This is where thepositive impact of the RSPO is crucial, providing a pathway to drive thetransformation to sustainable palm oil, protecting wildlife, forests andcommunities.
BELINDA FAIRBROTHER, Community Conservation and Engagement
Manager, Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

Photo Credit: Taronga Conservation Society

Impact Report 2019

60 |BASE DATA,GLOSSARY AND
REFERENCES

Photo Credit: RSPO & Jonathan Perugia

BASE DATA | 61

Unless otherwise stated, all data presented here are representative of the calendar year (1 January to 31 December) to reflect our
new reporting period. Therefore, the data differ from the data presented in previous Impact Reports and Impact Updates.

MEMBERSHIP
Indicator

Breakdown

Unit

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Number of Members

4,577

4,059

3,729

3,193

2,645

2,003

Number of Members

540

482

406

267

166

114

Germany

477

462

436

386

327

242

United Kingdom

452

425

428

406

353

277

Netherlands

233

225

223

201

176

139

Italy

216

198

179

171

141

80

Membership
Total
By Country

United States

France

187

177

148

140

134

119

Japan

177

117

78

52

38

31

Spain

164

146

128

100

84

54

Belgium

161

151

144

111

103

77

Australia

147

135

129

120

98

73

Malaysia

145

132

138

136

126

121

China

129

82

82

61

45

29

Indonesia

106

102

121

112

113

106

1,443

1,225

1,089

930

741

541

1,840

1,711

1,659

1,466

1,315

1,112

Associate

2,632

2,255

1,965

1,618

1,220

791

Affiliate

105

93

105

109

110

100

OthersBy Membership
Type

Ordinary

Number of Members

Note to data:• Membership data is taken as at 31 December for each respective year. Therefore, data differs from data presented in previous Impact Reports and Impact Updates.

CERTIFIED, PRODUCTION AND UPTAKE
Indicator

Breakdown

Unit

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

3,051,930

2,807,377

2,513,576

2,480,152

2,773,999

2,633,583

4,160,924

3,740,611

3,301,088

3,254,269

3,463,598

3,159,277

Certified, Production and Uptake
Area

Production Areaha

Certified Area
HCV Area

230,195*

221,019

307,041

185,532

144,967NA

15,192,356

13,474,502

11,616,293

12,154,072

12,886,070

11,955,234

3,383,788

3,061,071

2,638,764

2,769,276

2,996,574

2,713,935

14,351,626

13,287,566

11,860,079

12,062,293

12,130,775

10,998,913

3,221,825

3,042,599

2,713,154

2,765,223

2,780,291

2,531,369

5,303,819

4,331,377

4,511,050

3,674,550

2,833,434

2,441,775

CSPO Sales
through Book
and Claim

1,765,113

1,914,943

1,644,933

1,958,181

3,426,790

2,917,408

Total CSPO sales

7,068,932

6,246,320

6,155,983

5,632,731

6,182,694

5,359,183

AnnualcertifiedvolumeCSPO

Supply

CSPO

mt

CSPK
mt

CSPK
Sales

CSPO Sales
through IP, SG,MBmt

Impact Report 201962 | BASE DATA

Indicator

Breakdown

Unit

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Certified, Production and Uptake
UptakeCSPO Sales/
Supply

%

49%

47%

52%

47%

51%

49%

Note to data:• Area and Annual Certified Volume is taken as at 31 December for each respective year. Therefore, data differs from data presented in previous Impact Reports andImpact Updates.
• Data for Supply, Sales and Uptake is cumulative of the calendar year (1 January – 31 December)• All figures presented under “Certified, production, uptake” are inclusive of schemed and independent smallholders certified under group certification schemes.
• HCV figure marked with asterisk (*) refers to data that excludes set-aside conservation areas.
• Annual certified value is determined based on the projected annual production of the certified mills. Supply data is estimated based on monthly availability of theannual certified production volume of mills. The difference between annual certified production volume and supply is due to the differences in certification period ofindividual mills.

NEW PLANTING PROCEDURE
Breakdown

Unit

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

New Planting Procedure
Brazil

ha

–

–

–

–

7,448

–

–

532

–

–

Cambodia

ha

–

–

–

–

–

2,432

–

8,287

–

–

Cameroon*

ha

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Costa Rica*

ha

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Gabon

ha

–

–

14,53058,40023,78031,800–35,379

–

–

Ghana

ha

1,388

–

–

–

–

2,240

–

–

–

–

Guatemala

ha

407

933

797

496

–

691

–

–

–

–

Indonesia

ha

14,71925,983

9,266

17,33585,016753,594

41,973

134,962

43,6509,000

Liberia

ha

–

–

–

–

1,570

62,30038,085–45,000–

Malaysia

ha

1,700

–

–

3,319

–

3,558

–

–

–

–

Mexico

ha

–

–

1,019

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Nigeriaha––

14,436

2,368

–

–

–

5,594

–

–

Papua New
Guinea

ha

–

6,273

–

3,563

–

380

4,409

–

33,000–

Sierra Leone

ha

–

–

10,000

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

SolomonIslands

ha

–

2,677

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Togo

ha

–

–

–

4,144

–

–

–

–

–

–

Note to data:• NPP areas distributed over country and year.
• Figures are based on the calendar year (1 January to 31 December). Therefore, data differs from data presented in previous Impact Reports and Impact Updates.
* Member in these countries have resigned their membership with RSPO after NPP was approved and as such, their data have been excluded from the table.

REMEDIATION AND COMPENSATION PROCEDURE
NCLC area (ha)Breakdown

2019

FCL area (ha)

2018

2017

2019

2018

2017

39

Remediation and Compensation Procedure (RaCP)
Brazil

1,014

2,751

51

166

846

Cameroon

8,281

8,281

–

4,351

4351

–

Colombia

45,444

39,62921,386

1,528

24361

2,015

Congo

6,647

–

–

–

–

–

Costa Rica

173

173

387

3

3

3

Côte d’Ivoire

2,165

2,165

1,887

786

786

–

Impact Report 2019

BASE DATA | 63

NCLC area (ha)Breakdown

2019

FCL area (ha)

2018

2017

2019

2018

2017

Remediation and Compensation Procedure (RaCP)
Dominican Republic

7,447

7,447

773

74

74

3

Ecuador

14,093

15,542

7,417

2,514

2946

592

Ghana

6,103

6,103

2,432

684

685

168

Guatemala42,01823,08614,991

7,090

927

406

Honduras

10,619

8,437

8,703

274

308

183

Indonesia

601,833

684,502581,924

49,75687585

55,628

Malaysia

63,21762,551

61,414

7,899

11596

9,048

Mexico14,924

2,694

–

1,243

236

–

Nigeria

2,048

2,048

2,048

8

8

88

Papua New Guinea

9,864

7,372

–

1,025

799

–

Peru

20,431

20,431

–

2,998

2998

–

São Tomé and Príncipe

1,331

1,331

–

483

483

–

Sierra Leone

14,28914,199

–

236

331

–

Thailand

2278

–

–

533

–

–

Note to data:• NCLC: Non-compliant land clearance or land clearance without prior HCV assessment since November 2005.
• FCL: Final Conservation Liability.
• All figures in the above table are taken as at 30 June of each respective year except for 2019. Figures for 2019 is inclusive up to 31 December 2019.

COMPLAINTS
Indicator

Breakdown

Unit

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Number ofComplaints

137

116

93

75

62

47

Total complaints closed(cumulative)

95

72

56

47

35

26

Total complaints remaining
open at year-end(cumulative)

42

44

37

28

27

21

Complaints managed by
year*

65

60

46

40

36

26

Complaints
Complaints
success
criteria

Total complaints received(cumulative)

Complaint closed by year*
Percentage of complaints
closed each year

%

23

16

9

12

9

5

35%

27%

20%

30%

25%

19%

Note to data:• A data cleaning exercise was conducted after data collection system had been reviewed and restructured.
• Complaints data for 2014-2019 is representative of calendar year (1 January to 31 December)* Data includes complaints that were filed in previous years.

Impact Report 201964 | BASE DATATRADEMARK
Indicator

Breakdown

Unit

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Total trademark

TrademarkNumber of licences

958

797

556

412

300

181

By stakeholder group

CGM

Number of licences

Trademark
346

307

220

175

128

79

P&T

202

162

109

86

77

51

SCA

363

289

200

135

77

36

SCGM

2

2

2

–

–

–

Retailers

7

7

7

7

9

9

Growers
By country

By year

38

30

18

9

7

6

152

134

91

68

54

40

United States

76

61

47

42

27

20

United Kingdom

71

59

48

39

24

17

France

63

58

33

20

24

16

Belgium

59

50

44

35

24

15

Netherlands

56

52

39

32

22

11

Italy

53

47

34

27

–

–

Malaysia

50

45

32

25

28

21

Spain

44

38

27

19

–

–

Austria

26

23

15

–

–

–

Others

308

230

146

94

58

27

162

172*

138*

163

111

98

Germany

By Years

Number of licences

Number of licences

Note to data:• Trademark Licence data ‘By year’ for 2014-2019 is representative of the calendar year (1 January-31 December).
• Trademark Licence data reflects data from supply chain certified members only.
• There is ongoing exercise to review and cleanup the overall data structure. Figures marked with asterisk (*) are the latest updated figures that reflects the process andmay differ from the previous Impact Reports.

CERTIFICATION 2019
Total Certified
Area
(ha)

Total Production
Area
(ha)

Total Certified
FFB Produced(mt)

Total Certified
Volume CSPO
(mt)

Total Certified
Volume CSPK
(mt)

Mills and Supply
Base(s)4,131,304

3,023,573

67,982,809

15,083,122

3,383,788

Group
Certification for
Independent
Smallholders(ISH)

29,62028,357

485,370

109,234–

Indicator
Certification

Note to data:• The data is taken as of 31 December 2019 from Market data.

Impact Report 2019

BASE DATA | 65

COUNTRIES WITH P&C CERTIFICATION

Indicator

Total Certified
Area
(ha)

Total Production
Area
(ha)

Total Certified
FFB Produced(mt)

Total Certified
Volume CSPO
(mt)

Total Certified
Volume CSPK
(mt)

775,246

139,105

17,346Countries with P&C Certification
Brazil122,634

48,254

Cambodia

20,58016,460295,000

57,665

13,865

Colombia

84,75962,5181,290,681

286,373

60,703

Costa Rica

45,88342,009773,349

174,844

39,861

Cote D'Ivoire

44,59041,515

304,667

69,886

7,496

Ecuador24,54011,275

120,692

25,886

6,225

Gabon

112,455

24,483385,057

93,12816,867Ghana

31,69722,087309,708

67,385

15,703

Guatemala46,07240,1541,230,242

287,168

54,573

Honduras

31,40829,576

632,956

144,494

31,524

Indonesia

2,108,546

1,615,394

36,951,325

8,448,449

1,878,308

Madagascar

2,234

1,087

6,336

415

176

Malaysia

1,227,737

901,318

20,756,497

4,467,755

1,044,394

Nigeria

16,3639,851

59,572

9,216

3,396

Papua New
Guinea

195,010

143,9903,799,783

745,498

176,584

Solomon Islands

9,026

6,597

157,839

37,755

9,391

Thailand

7,772

7,008

133,858

28,1007,375

Note to data:• All figures in the above table exclude data for independent smallholders certified under group certification but are inclusive of outgrower and scheme smallholders. All
figures are taken as at 31 December 2019.

Impact Report 201966 | GLOSSARY

AFFILIATE MEMBERSRSPO membership category consisting of organisations that are
not directly involved in the palm oil supply chain, but haveexpressed interest in RSPO’s objectives and activities. Membershipextends to academia, research and development organisations,donors and sponsors. Affiliate members may attend the annual
General Assembly as observers.

FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT(FPIC)A principle that a community has the right to give or withhold
its consent to proposed projects that may affect the lands theycustomarily own, occupy or otherwise use.

FRESH FRUIT BUNCHES (FFB)

ANNUAL COMMUNICATION OF
PROGRESS (ACOP)

Bunch harvested from the oil palm. Each bunch can weigh from
5 to 50 kilogrammes and can contain 1,500 or more individual
fruits.

Reports submitted by RSPO members to gauge their progress
towards 100% RSPO certified sustainable palm oil. These reports
are mandatory for Ordinary and Affiliate members, and aresubmitted each year.

GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG)

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS)

Term for gases that trap heat within the atmosphere. The primary
greenhouse gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, and ozone.

Practical guidelines to enhance oil palm management.

HECTARES (HA)

CERTIFICATION BODY (CB)A unit of measurement equivalent to 10,000 square metres, or
100m x 100m.

Organisation that provides third-party auditing and certification
services related to a product, process or system, and which canissue a certificate of compliance.

HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE (HCV)CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL(CSPO)
Palm oil that has been produced from oil palm grown on aplantation that is managed and certified in accordance with the
RSPO Principles & Criteria.

The concept of HCV forest was first developed by the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1999 as their 9th Principle. The FSC
defined HCV forest as forest of outstanding and criticalimportance due to its environmental, socioeconomic, cultural,
biodiversity and landscape value.

HIGH CARBON STOCK (HCS) FORESTCRUDE PALM OIL (CPO)

Forests that are important to local communities or that havehigh carbon or biodiversity values.

A type of unrefined vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of theoil palm tree.

HIGH FOREST COVER COUNTRY (HFCC)

The remuneration received by a worker, for work performed on
regular hours, in a particular place sufficient to afford a decent
standard of living for the worker and her or his family.

Landscapes having >60% forest cover (based on recent, trusted
REDD+ and national data); <1% oil palm cover; a deforestation
trajectory that is historically low but increasing or constant; anda known frontier area for oil palm or where major areas havebeen allocated for development.

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT FACILITY (DSF)

HIGH FOREST COVER LANDSCAPE (HFCL)DECENT LIVING WAGE (DLW)

A mechanism within RSPO that facilitates mediation between
mutually consenting Parties to resolve disputes.

FINAL CONSERVATION LIABILITY (FCL)
Compensation liabilities incurred by RSPO members as a resultof clearance without prior HCV assessment since November 2005.
FCL is expressed in hectares.

Landscapes having >80% forest cover. Landscape as defined
under HCSA Toolkit (Module 5): “The size of a landscape may
be determined by (a) identifying the watershed or the geographicalland unit containing a cluster of interacting ecosystems; (b)selecting a unit size that encompasses the plantation concession
and a buffer of the surrounding area (e.g. 50,000 ha or 100,000ha); or (c) using a radius of 5 km from the area of interest (forinstance, the planned concession).”

Impact Report 2019

GLOSSARY | 67

HOTSPOTOIL PALM

A small area with a relatively high temperature in comparison
to its surroundings.

A species of palm (Elaeis guineensis) and the principal sourceof palm oil. It is native to west and southwest Africa, but is now
cultivated in over 26 countries. Ideal growing conditions occur
up to 10 degrees either side of the equator.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS (HRDS)
Individuals, groups and associations who promote and protect
universally recognised human rights and contribute to theeffective elimination of all forms of violations of human rights
and fundamental freedoms of individuals and peoples. This
includes Environmental Human Rights Defenders, whistleblowers,
complainants and community spokespersons. The definition does
not include those individuals who commit or propagate violence.

IDENTITY PRESERVED (IP)ORDINARY MEMBERSRSPO membership category consisting of organisations that have
either direct involvement, or have activities around, the palm oil
supply chain. Only ordinary members are allowed to submit
resolutions and vote at the annual General Assembly.

PALMGHG

The Identity Preserved supply chain model assures that RSPO
certified palm oil is kept separate from oil that is not RSPO
certified. This oil can be physically traced back to its plantationof origin.

A calculator developed by the RSPO Greenhouse Gas Working
Group (2010-2011) and further refined and improved by the
RSPO Emission Reduction Working Group to estimate andmonitor net GHG emissions from current estate and milloperations.

ISEAL ALLIANCE

PALM KERNEL OIL (PKO)

Global membership association for credible sustainability
standards, which work together to improve the impact andeffectiveness of current and potential future members.

Oil extracted from the kernel or core of the palm fruit.

JURISDICTIONAL APPROACH TO
CERTIFICATION

Edible oil extracted from the fruit of the oil palm. Palm oil is
one of the few highly saturated vegetable fats. It remains semisolid at room temperature and is suitable for a wide variety of
applications. Palm oil is an ingredient in a large number of
products, including margarine, baked goods, chocolate, ice cream,soaps and cosmetics. It is also used as fuel for cars and power
plants.

In the context of sustainable palm oil, the jurisdictional approachseeks to align interests and coordinate actions among
governments, businesses, local communities, and NGOs towardshared conservation, supply chain sustainability, and green
development goals.

LAND USE CHANGE ANALYSIS (LUCA)
Assessment determining changes to vegetation cover and land
use over a given timeframe.

MASS BALANCE (MB)Supply chain model that allows certified claims to be transferredfrom one oil palm product to another, either through physicalblending or administratively under strictly controlled
circumstances.

METRIC TONNE (MT)A unit of mass equivalent to 1,000 kilogrammes.

NEW PLANTING PROCEDURE (NPP)
Provides guidance on how and under what conditions new oilpalm plantings should be carried out.

PALM OILPALMTRACERSPO’s traceability system for certified oil palm products. Certified
members use PalmTrace to register their physical sales andprocessing activities - from mill level to refineries - under the IP,
SG and MB supply chain models. PalmTrace also supports RSPO’s
Book and Claim model by enabling the trade of RSPO Credits.

PEAT
Histosols (organic soils) are soils with cumulative organic layer(s)comprising more than half of the upper 80cm or 100cm of thesoil surface containing 35% or more of organic matter (35% ormore Loss on Ignition) or 18% or more organic carbon (FAO
1998, 2006/7; USDA 2014; IUSS 1930). National accepted
definitions as in the case of Malaysia and Indonesia may be
proposed through the National Interpretation (NI) process for
the RSPO P&C.

REMEDIATION AND COMPENSATIONPROCEDURE (RACP)
Procedure whereby RSPO members are required to remediate
and compensate for land clearance without prior HCV assessment
since November 2005.

Impact Report 2019

68 | GLOSSARY

RSPO BOARD OF GOVERNORS (BOG)

SEGREGATED (SG)RSPO management body comprised of 16 RSPO members,
representing each of the seven RSPO membership categories
and designated by the General Assembly for two years.

The Segregated supply chain model maintains separation
between sustainable palm oil from different certified sourcesand ordinary palm oil throughout supply chain. The model
assures that RSPO certified oil palm products delivered to theend user come only from RSPO certified sources.

RSPO COMPLAINTS AND APPEALSPROCEDURES (CAP)
RSPO procedures for dealing with complaints arising from a
breach of the RSPO Key Documents, and appeals against thedecision of the Complaints Panel in relation to such Complaints.

RSPO COMPLAINTS PANEL
An independent panel comprising RSPO members constituted toreceive and process complaints.

RSPO CREDITS/BOOK AND CLAIM
Model where the supply chain is not monitored for the presenceof sustainable palm oil. Manufacturers and retailers support the
production of RSPO certified sustainable oil palm products
through the purchase of Credits from RSPO certified growers,
crushers and independent smallholders.

RSPO DRAINABILITY ASSESSMENT (DA)PROCEDURE
The RSPO DA Procedure has been developed to support oil palm
growers to assess future subsidence and flood risks of peatlands
and adjust their management processes to reduce subsidence
rates and prolong the workable lifetime of their plantations.

RSPO PRINCIPLES & CRITERIA (P&C)
Guidelines on how palm oil companies and growers should
produce palm oil sustainably. It forms the basis of all company
assessments for certification and is reviewed every five years.

RSPO SMALLHOLDER SUPPORT FUND(RSSF)
A fund established by the RSPO to help smallholders securesustainable palm oil certification. The RSSF is funded from 10%
of income generated through the trading of CSPO.

1

SET-ASIDE AREA
Areas set-aside that are not planned to be planted, such as
peatlands, areas of fragile or marginal soils, steep slopes, etc.,
excluding HCV areas.

SMALLHOLDERS
Farmers growing oil palm, sometimes along with subsistence
production of other crops, where the family provides the majorityof labour and the farm provides the principal source of income
and where the planted area of oil palm is usually below 50 hain size.

STANDING COMMITTEES
Committees that oversee RSPO’s overall operations, consistingof members from the BoG and RSPO members. Four Standing
Committees have been appointed to lead: Standards &Certification, Trade & Traceability, Communications & Claims andFinance.

SUPPLY CHAIN ASSOCIATESRSPO membership category consisting of companies that procure,use or trade less than 500 MT of CSPO annually. Supply chain
associates may attend the annual General Assembly as observers.

UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)A set of 17 aspirational global goals to end poverty, protect theplanet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
The goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development
Goals, while including new areas such as climate change,
economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peaceand justice, among other priorities.

In line with the revision of the current RSPO P&C 2013, the Peatland Working Group 2 has revised the “RSPO’s organic and peat soil classification,” which is available
at: www.rspo.org/principles-and-criteria-review/revision-of-rspo-organic-and-peat-soil-classification.

Impact Report 2019

REFERENCES | 69

CLIMATE ADVISERS. (2019)

RSPO. (2019)

Companies Committed to Sustainable Palm Oil Production have
Substantively Stronger Equity Returns. Retrieved fromhttps://www.climateadvisers.com/news/companies-committed-tosustainable-palm-oil-production-have-had-substantively-strongerequity-returns/

RSPO New Planting Procedures. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/certification/new-planting-procedure

INTERNATIONAL UNION FORCONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCNNETHERLANDS). (2019)
IUCN Netherlands Compares Sustainability Certification for Palm
Oil. Retrieved fromhttps://www.iucn.nl/en/updates/iucn-nl-compares-sustainabilitycertification-for-palm-oil

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO PalmGHG calculator. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/certification/palmghg/palm-ghg-calculator

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO 2019 Excellence Awards. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/news/2019-rspo-excellenceawards-announced

RSPO. (2019)

LCA. (2019)

RSPO Theory of Change (ToC). Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/impact/theory-of-changeLife Cycle Assessment study shows RSPO CSPO poses Lower
Environmental Impact. Retrieved fromhttps://lca-net.com/publications/show/comparative-life-cycleassessment-of-rspo-certified-and-non-certified-palm-oil/

RSPO. (2019)

LCA. (2019)
LCA Certified Palm Oil Club. Retrieved fromhttps://lca-net.com/clubs/palm-oil/NASA OFFICIAL. (2018)
Technical Details on How Hotspots are Detected. Retrieved fromhttps://earthdata.nasa.gov/firms-faq#ed-fire-detection

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Membership. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/members

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Certification. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/certification

RSPO. (2018)
RSPO 2018 P&C. Retrieved fromhttps://www.rspo.org/resources/certification/rspo-principlescriteria-certification

RSPO Assurance Standing Committee and its ToR. Retrieved fromhttps://www.rspo.org/resources/supporting-bodies-sc-wg-tf-/
standing-committees/assurance-standing-committee

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO SCCS and SCC Systems. Retrieved fromhttps://www.rspo.org/resources/certification/supply-chaincertification

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO ISH Standard. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/certification/rspo-independent-smallholderstandard

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Complaints Panel. Retrieved fromhttps://askrspo.force.com/Complaint/s/

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Shared Responsibility Requirements and Implementation.
Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/news/what-are-the-new-sharedresponsibility-rules

Impact Report 201970 | REFERENCES

RSPO. (2019)

RSPO. (2019).

RSPO Shared Responsibility Working Group (SRWG). Retrieved
fromhttps://rspo.org/about/supporting-bodies#shared-responsibilityworking-group

RSPO Peat Inventory Template and Peat Audit Guidance.
Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/announcements/rspo-peatinventory-template-and-peat-audit-guidance

RSPO. (2019)

RSPO. (2019)

RSPO Decent Living Wage Guidance Document. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/news/rspo-releases-industryfirstdecent-living-wage-guidance-for-oil-palm-workers

RSPO Peat Drainability Assessment Procedure. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/announcements/rspodrainability-assessment-procedure

RSPO. (2019)

RSPO. (2019)

RSPO Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) guide. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.rspo.org/resources/free-prior-and-informed-consentfpic-

GeoRSPO. Retrieved fromhttps://www.rspo.org/members/georspo

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Human Rights Defender (HRD) Policy. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/announcements/rspo-policy-onhuman-rights-defenders-whistleblowers-complainants-andcommunity-spokespersons

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Smallholder Strategy. Retrieved fromhttps://www.rspo.org/smallholders/rspo-smallholder-strategy

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY. (2018)
Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. Retrieved fromhttps://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalenciescalculator

WWF. (2019)
WWF Living Landscape Programme. Retrieved fromhttp://awsassets.wwf.org.my/downloads/living_landscape_programme_compressed.pdf

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy (STA). Retrieved fromhttps://portal.sta.rspo.org/aspx/Home

RSPO. (2019)
RSPO NPP Draft for Public Consultation. Retrieved fromhttps://rspo.org/news-and-events/announcements/announcementpublic-consultation-on-rspo-certification-systems-for-pandc-andnew-planting-procedures

Impact Report 2019

The RSPO is an international non-profit organisation formed in 2004 with theobjective to promote the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products throughcredible global standards and engagement of stakeholders.

Impacts and Evaluation Division
Rountable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Unit 13A-1, Level 13A, Menara Etiqa,
No 3, Jalan Bangsar Utama 1,
59000 Kuala Lumpur
T +603 2201 4646
F +603 2202 0527

Other Offices:
Jakarta, Indonesia
London, United Kingdom
Beijing, China
Bogota, Colombia
New York, USA
Zoetermeer, Netherlands

rspo@rspo.org
www.rspo.org

Impact Report 2019